All I Need is You
by Octopusfan13
Summary: Zim had finally completed his greatest project and so he called over Dib so his enemy-turned ally could witness this moment. With this machine he invented Zim would finally be able to reach the height he knew he deserved. But unknown to the small Irken there were consequences to becoming a Taller. ZADR
1. Entallerator

**_I was going to get this out for X-mas but clearly failed. However, I've been working on this one for a while now and wanted to get it out. I have 10 1/2 of 13-ish chapters done and my goal is to finish it this month. I'll post a chapter every 1-3 days as I continue to finish this and edit it while I'm also working on my other story. This story is going to have some kinky Irken anatomy (2 is better than one) and some emotional drama as the two find out that they need each other in all kinds of ways. ;)_**

* * *

 _Balls!_ It was cold outside. If he hadn't been wearing the thermal-heat trapping pants he invented back in early high-skool for winter paranormal stake-outs, Dib would have been much more concerned about that particular part of his anatomy. Even with the long thick winter version of his trench coat (also lined with the heat trapping material), thick wool socks and heavy boots, winter gloves, black scarf, black hat; he was still freezing. He would have taken his car, but it was currently snowing heavily and there was a parking ban on all the streets and Zim's house only had street parking.

He never noticed before it became inconvenient that Zim's house had neither a garage nor driveway. Of course this had only become a problem in the winter after their enemy relationship shifted to stalemate, then to tolerant, then reluctant truce, then neutral parties, then occasional allies and now—according to Zim—master and slave, though Dib referred to their odd relationship as something akin to friends. He'd never really had any before so he had nothing to compare it to, but being able to spend extended amounts of time together without having to repress murderous impulses and occasionally seeking out each others' company counted as besties in Dib's book.

Which was why he was trudging through a blizzard instead of holed up warm and cozy in his room reading the latest articles in the Swollen Eyeball archives. His dear _friend_ had insisted that he come over to his house to witness some grand...thing... he had created. Zim would also not accept the excuse "Zim, it's balls cold outside. Can't you just show me now?" as an answer. Apparently, video chat wasn't _superior_ enough and Dib's presence was required in-person.

So here he was, trudging along the sidewalk up to Zim's front door. He punched the doorbell as his cold frozen fingers were unable to move. Dib stood shivering on the doorstep. This was also part of their weird friend-thingy. Dib used the doorbell now, instead of breaking into Zim's house. Sometimes (like now apparently) Zim would stand on the other side of the door, waiting, testing him to see if impatience would make Dib break their truce. Zim was always testing him in weird ways like that. He didn't need to, Dib had no intentions of breaking their truce. He had no desire to go back to the way things were. He felt incredibly old thinking this (even though he was only twenty-seven) but he didn't have as much energy as he did when he was young. He couldn't spend all night chasing Zim around and then be a functioning human being the next day with no sleep.

Besides, he wouldn't be allowed in the lab anymore if things went back to the way they were and he greatly preferred pulling all-nighters working on a project with Zim either to improve his base or update his tech. Some nights Zim would even let him crash in the makeshift room Dib made for himself there. It had been a storage closet with nothing in it but Gir's forgotten plushies, but with a futon Dib had the computer build and some blankets and pillows from his apartment it made a nice nap room. Dib planned to spend the rest of the night there as he was _not_ going to go back home in this cold again. Zim owed him that much at least.

And it would be nice to spend X-mas eve with another living thing for once. Dib tried keeping plants at his apartment, but apparently he had a black thumb and even the sturdiest of plants died in his care. His dad had stopped calling them on X-mas when they reached high-skool, by that point even Gaz had given up on getting their father to spend more time with them. As far as Professor Membrane was concerned his children were self-sufficient and had the basics to live by. They didn't need him, but the world and SCIENCE did.

When Gaz graduated High-Skool she went off to some college specializing in gaming design all the way across the country out in California and then after graduating was offered a job from her internship. She was well on her way to becoming a leading game designer in the most well-known company in her field. Dib was happy for her and he e-mailed her occasionally. The more distance between them, the better their relationship became. Sometimes she even e-mailed him back with updates in her life.

Dib couldn't complain either. He became a prominent member in among the Swollen Eyeballs, of course that was just his hobby. They didn't pay him, but that did get him some great connections in the paranormal community and he did some private work for people investigating off occurrences and helping the police with weird cases. Most of the time it had nothing to do with the paranormal, but it did give him great material for his book series. His experiences growing up were a great basis for a young adult novel series that started as a project for an English class he had to take in college. He'd been so obsessed with truth when he was young that it never occurred to him to write anything fictional, but he surprised himself and his peers with his writings.

Not to brag or anything, but he was a great writer and it was sort of cathartic to create a world in which all the things be believed to be real and knew to be real were just as real to the characters in his story. The main character was smart-mouthed, passionate and a magnet for disaster, but somehow always managed to come out on top in the end. Miz, or Mizzy was her name, he couldn't think of how he'd thought of it but it seemed right. Mizzy the paranormal problem solver in a world where the things that went bump in the night were real as the kids in her class, because they _were_ the kids in her class.

He was working on book seven currently and had a scheduled book signing in a few weeks that his agent said was a super big deal and that he couldn't weasel his way out of this one. Dib wasn't too familiar with the politics of the writing world, he just wrote the books and sent them to his agent. She did the rest of the work and always did a great job with all the detail stuff he had no interest in. He also did restaurant and venue reviews with her same agency. In all Dib was content in his life writing his books, articles, working occasionally with the Swollen Eyeballs and stopping his only friend from blowing up himself and everything else around him whenever a 'great new idea' came to him.

Dib knew something happened to Zim sometime in middle skool, something that changed things between them, that allowed for this shift to take place. Zim suddenly stopped trying to take over the planet, in fact for a while he didn't do much of anything. Dib never pried too much into it. Why look a gift horse in the mouth? Eventually, Dib noticed Zim focusing less on conquering Earth and more on making Dib's life a living-hell.

That continued into late middle skool, until Dib (and all the other kids) hit their growth spurts and Zim stayed pretty much the same height, he gained maybe a foot and stood now at a solid four feet tall. Zim became extremely hostile for about a year and his efforts to kill and/or maim Dib doubled, but as Dib got older he could see Zim's patterns better and avoided a lot more of Zim's 'deadly' plans. It was then that the real shift began. Zim realized that his plans weren't working, but he also noticed Dib's lack of retaliation.

After that last time he went to the crazy house in early Hi-Skool, Dib stopped trying to expose Zim, he realized a lot about himself in that visit and shortly after leaving he went through his 'phase'. In truth, Dib tried to avoid Zim like the plague for a short time during his 'phase'. After his 'phase' was over, Dib was able to somewhat interact with Zim without getting into insane fights or having unwanted reactions. It wasn't too long after that, Zim realized Dib had stopped trying to expose his identity to everyone and they shifted into their first understanding between each other. Dib's wouldn't be the boy that cried alien and Zim wouldn't try to kill him. From there it eventually evolved into their odd friendship today.

"Zim!" Dib called out, his breath forming puffs of white. "I know you're there, let me in. I'm freezing my balls off out here."

The door opened and there stood Zim. Dib shuffled past him stomping off the snow from his boots on the mat in front of Zim's door as the small invader closed it. Zim gave him one of his classic looks, one eye squinted as he scrutinized the human slowly unthawing in his living room.

"Where are these 'balls' you always speak of. Zim sees no spherical objects on the Dib," he squinted and peered up at Dib. "Oh, Zim sees them," he scoffed and flipped his hand in a shooing motion. "Stupid humans and their inferior eyes. It is stupid that they will fall off simply because the temperature is a little low."

"A little low?" Dib scoffed as he stuffed his gloves into his pocket, then before Zim could react he placed his freezing cold fingers against Zim's cheek. Dib was rewarded with a shriek as Zim jumped away and rubbed furiously at his face. Dib chuckled and shrugged out of his coat, hanging it on a hook next to the door. A hook he knew only he ever used.

"So why am I here?—I'm staying the night by the way."

"Yes, yes, Zim expected you to," Zim said waving away Dib's demands and marching over into the kitchen. "Come, Dib-thing, and I will show you my genius and you will be AMAZED!" he shouted throwing his hands up in the air.

Dib grabbed the hand that—fully extended—would just be able to reach his head. "Is this another weasel experiment?" he asked more than a little concerned. The last one had ended up with Dib rushing over to the hospital to get a rabies shot. It had not been a fun experience.

Zim tugged back his hand and scowled. "How was I to know that humans could catch insanity from a mere animal bite? If I had only known that before..." Zim mumbled the last to himself and trailed off muttering grumpily under his breath. He stepped into the fridge elevator and scooted over to make room for Dib. Once inside the small and cramped space the door closed, almost squishing them as usual. "Computer," Zim barked. "To the lab."

" ** _Fine_** ," the computer droned on as the elevator descended.

It was a short ride to the lab and Zim marched out proudly, not waiting to see if Dib would follow. It took Dib a moment more to exit the cramped space but he followed after Zim as they made their way to the back of the lab. Zim stopped in front of a large cylindrical and upright egg-shaped pod. Numerous wires, tubes and a hundred other connections ran from the top of the egg-pod up into the ceiling of the lab. Zim turned and, grinning widely, gestured to the pod.

"Be _AMAZED!_ " He said in his loud and very distinctive voice. "This is the Entallerator. I made it myself," he said planting his hands behind his back and puffing up his chest.

Dib eyed the machine with a critical eye, "What does it do?"

Zim scoffed as if Dib just asked the stupidest of questions. "Stupid worm-monkey, is it not obvious? With this I will finally be able to unleash my full potential!" he said throwing up his hands and laughing with glee, almost-malicious glee.

"Meaning?" Dib asked afraid of the answer.

Zim stopped laughing and gave Dib a scrutinizing look. "It will make me tall," he said flatly, some of his enthusiasm taken away at Dib's lack of awe. "Taller than even you," he added with a hint of a challenge in his voice. Such words would have been completely scandalous for a shorter to say to a Taller back on Irk.

"Why am I your measuring stick?" Dib asked. "I'm not even the tallest human you know." Dib wasn't short, he was in the average-tall height, about 5'8. Hell, his agent was taller when she wore her death-spikes, which is what he called her four-inch heels. There was no way a normal human being could walk like that without snapping their ankles. Dib suspected she might have dhampire blood in her family history, she could get very scary when Dib refused too many signings.

"Because," Zim said breaking him out of his thoughts. "You are the only human that has any worth on this horrible dirt ball," Zim said turning to his machine and typing into the screen connected to it.

Dib found himself oddly touched by Zim's words. "Thanks, Zim," he said sincerely.

"Eh?" Zim paused to look up at him in confusion.

"For the compliment."

"Eh? I just insulted your entire filthy planet," Zim said fully confused now, which made him grumpy. He turned to scowl at Dib.

"You said I was the only one with worth," Dib pointed to himself grinning. "That means you think I have value."

Zim continued to frown, "Yes, but it is like a pile of rocks and you are just the prettiest rock, do not flatter yourself Dib-worm, the only amazing one is-"

"-You think I'm pretty?" Dib butt in bringing his hands to his cheeks, pretending to be surprised and overwhelmed by his words. For full effect he even made his voice slightly higher.

Zim sputtered for a moment and Dib wasn't sure if the Irken was flustered or frustrated or a mix of both, but either way it was amusing to get under Zim's skin like this and he couldn't help the tiny smirk from creeping onto his face. When Zim spotted the sly smile his eyes narrowed and he glared at Dib, finally recognizing the pattern.

"You are doing the teasing thing again," Zim said almost as a question, but more of an affirmation to himself. He didn't quite get the nuance of human interactions and while he liked being able to insult Dib all he wanted without Dib getting truly angry, he still had a hard time recognizing the teasing that was aimed at him. It had taken a lot of time and patience to explain friendly teasing to Zim. Zim still didn't see why Dib thought it was important even when he explained.

Dib never had friends growing up and Zim was the only one he could call a friend now. He'd seen others lightly tease their friends and for a while as a kid he believed all the teasing done to him was because they liked him. Somehow having a real friend with the banter back and forth made all his childhood memories hurt a little less. Zim didn't get it, but he begrudgingly accepted Dib's behavior mostly because he still liked talking down the Earth and insulting Dib. Though now there was a significantly less venom in Zim's voice and his insults were more like odd patterns of speech. Weirdly enough, Dib found all the odd add-ons to his name and the random insults Zim called him a little endearing. Dib appreciated the extra effort it took to come up with creative new word combinations to call him.

Dib shrugged, dropping the act now that he had been caught, "I can't fool you."

"No," Zim brightened. "I am unfoolable and amazing and soon I will be taller than you," Zim turned back to his machine. Dib's admittance made him feel like he had won and he liked winning. "Then Zim will be the one doing the teasing," he muttered under his breath.

Out of sight Dib grinned at his friend and causally stuck his hands into his pants' pockets. He peered over Zim's shoulder to watch the small but fast fingers fly across the keyboard as Irken symbols sped across the screen above it. Dib could read a good amount of Irken, but the letters were going too fast for him to read properly.

"So how is this machine supposed to work? You have tested it right?" Dib asked knowing it was a _very_ valid question as Zim rarely tested out his equipment before using them. Since Dib had started coming over and helping Zim out with his weird experiments the accidents and explosions were down about eighty percent. In fact, the lower rate of mishaps was so drastic that the computer would sometimes contact Dib on his phone and alert him to Zim's newest project just so Dib could come over asap and try to help manage any potential disaster from happening. Of course, Zim didn't know of their arrangement. Zim just found it annoying but also very convenient whenever Dib showed up 'to hang out' just as he was going to conduct an important experiment. He liked having a lab partner that wouldn't try to eat half the materials he was using.

"Yes," Zim hissed reluctantly. He found tests annoying and time consuming. He was amazing so therefore everything he made would work amazingly as well. However, whenever Dib helped he insisted on running tests and trials and double checking the equipment, and it _did_ cut down on the explosions and bad things that happened from errors he had not accounted for. Zim would never admit it out loud, but he was secretly glad that the human came around whenever he was working on a new and potentially dangerous project.

It seemed that the human always happened to pop up when Zim needed him. So whenever he began a new project he would take his time with preparations and pass the time telling the computer all about his new project in hopes that Dib would suddenly show up. Most of the time Dib did end up appearing. It happened so frequently that Zim was beginning to suspect that he had a weird hold over the human that would summon him when Zim needed him.

This time, however, he really had done the testing on his own. He planned on having Dib over to witness his greatness. Knowing that Dib would become stubborn and unyielding in his need to test every small detail, Zim had done all the preparations and testing before calling Dib over.

"The testing data is over there," he waved towards an Irken tablet on one of the lab tables. Dib immediately went over and started scrolling through the data. Zim's antennae remained in a relaxed but alert position as Dib made the little noises he did when reading. Zim could tell what the Dib was thinking from even the slightest noise he made. As Zim listened he became annoyed at the small concerned sounds Dib was making. Finally, he turned around when he could tell Dib was done reading. Hands on his hips he glared challengingly at the human. "What?" he demanded to know, seeing the concern on the human's face. "My testing was flawless and the data is all there."

Dib lowered the tablet. He was surprised. Zim really had done his homework on this, the tests and data were all done correctly and any margins for error were fixed. "There is still a twenty-five percent chance this could kill or horribly disfigure you," Dib pointed out. "Or explode."

"Yes? So?" Zim asked tapping his foot impatiently, waiting for Dib to get to the point he was making. They had run experiments much more dangerous than this.

"You have a one-in-four chance of _dying_ ," Dib stressed the word. "All for what? To become taller? I know your race is big on the height thing, but why do you care? You're the only Irken on Earth, technically you are the tallest Irken on Earth already."

"Stupid Dib-stink, if Zim made a machine that would shrink the size of your head wouldn't you want it?"

"Not if I had a one-in-four chance of dying," Dib exasperated. "And my head is not big."

Zim gave him a once over, "It is," he said and turned back around. "And Zim will be tall. I'm tired of looking up at you, Dib-filth. It is Zim's turn to be tall. And it is _because_ I am the only Irken on Earth that I can become taller. On Irk, merely talking about this kind of thing could get me executed."

Dib let out a heavy sigh. There were some things he couldn't budge Zim on no matter what. "At least give me a moment to look over the data a bit more thoroughly. I'll see if there is any way I can improve the chances."

"No," Zim put in the final code. "I have done all the calculations required. I did not call you over for more tests. I want you here to witness my being a genius. You are going to be the first to see the new taller Zim. Feel honored Earth-worm."

"Zim," Dib pleaded, but it was too late Zim had detached his PAK and placed it on the holding shelf next to the machine. Apparently, he couldn't wear it inside. Dib shifted a few steps away and eyed it wearily, he had bad memories regarding detached PAKs. A flurry of moment caught his attention and Dib blanched at Zim's actions.

"Why are you stripping?"

Zim huffed as he pulled his tunic over his head. He'd already kicked off his boots and pulled off his gloves. Standing in his black pants, that were more like tights than pants, he raised one eye-ridge and lowered the other, giving Dib an incredulous look. "Why do you not wear the same uniform you had when you were a tiny Earth-worm baby?"

"Uhh, because it wouldn't fit?" Dib offered, feeling a bit distracted by all the exposed skin. Zim was normally clothed neck to toes (did Irkens have toes? A look down—two toes—from what he could see through the material).

"Exactly," Zim said pulling down and stepping out of his standard-issue pants. He stood bare and un-phased in front of his once enemy. Previously Zim _never_ would have dared to do this, leaving his superior skin so exposed to attack or Earth poison. But right now he did not fear any attack from the Dib-beast, so there was no reason to be weary. Irken bodies were perfect in every way and Zim scoffed when he found out humans could be ashamed or embarrassed of their own bodies. Gym locker room had taught him that.

He refused to change into more exposing shorts and T-shirts because it was stupid to expose skin when you _knew_ you were going into battle. At first he had _slightly_ , _SLIGHTLY_ , admired the humans' ritual of exposing weaknesses to further prove their prowess in gym-battle games. However, when he discovered that it was not to show confidence for victory, but because it helped them be less smelly, Zim was appalled. Many were almost afraid of exposing themselves and not because they feared attack to their soft squishy bodies, but because they themselves knew how stupid their meat sacky bodies were. It just went to further his belief at how inferior they were. Of course, Dib never changed for gym, he knew the dangers of exposing his weaknesses to his enemy, just like Zim.

Dib stared at him with wide eyes and an odd expression. It took Zim a moment to realize why. He smirked and held himself a higher. "Take a good look, inferior Earth-monkey, this is what a superior body looks like and soon Zim will also be a _Tall_ superior Irken. You should feel honored, Zim is giving you the privilege of seeing my new form first."

Dib blinked, unable to look away from all the _green_. It was so weird seeing his enemy so...so...naked. He did have two toes and like his hands they were more like talons with pointed and sharp ends. Dib often wondered why Zim never fought him without his gloves on, as his clawed fingers ended in sharp points. Those thick gloves were probably the reason why Dib was still alive and hadn't had his guts spilled out on the street.

Zim had neither nipples nor belly button and his limbs, chest, and abs were completely smooth with no visible muscles, though Dib knew first hand how strong that tiny body was. Then there was the obvious difference, the smooth unbroken skin continued over Zim's crotch with no visible gentiles. Zim bragged about how he was a clone and made to be superior. Maybe that was true and his species had long left their reproductive organs behind in the wake of their scientific advancements. It just made Dib even more embarrassed about the 'phase' he had in his teen years.

Unfortunately, in his dazed state he hadn't been paying attention to what Zim was doing and before he could stop him, Zim stepped into the machine's chamber. The door shut and sealed tight snapping Dib out of his stupor.

"Zim!" Dib banged on the door and went over to the control panel to see about stopping this ludicrous idea. Dib heard cackling from inside as the machine started up and began humming and glowing. Dib fruitlessly typed on the panel, but it had been locked and password protected and Dib was too panicked to think clearly enough to start guessing passwords.

The evil laughter quickly turned into horrid screams of terror and pain as the humming increased and the lights grew. Dib shielded his eyes and frantically searched for a way to stop the machine. The wires connecting the machine to its power source were too high for Dib to reach. Instead, Dib found a long pipe, near a pile of destroyed parts (courtesy of Gir) and ran back over with a battle cry, lifting his pipe high above his head and aiming for the control panel.

The light spilling out from the machine became blinding and the humming increased to a screeching as parts were being used beyond their capacity. Dib ran forward, fueled by his need to save the only friend he had or would likely to ever have. His weapon came swinging down as the machine exploded, hurling him across the lab. He was painfully thrown against the wall where glass shattered at his impact and he fell to the ground. Pieces of machinery and glass fell on top of him and he hissed in pain as liquid chemicals spilled over him. He must have been thrown into Zim's chemicals storage unit which was currently broken and lying on top of him.

In the back of his mind he was worried about the effect of said chemicals dripping onto his person, but in the forefront he was just trying to move and free himself from the debris so he could get to Zim… if there was anything left of him. Pain assaulted him at every move, something had to be broken and he was too afraid to find out what. Lifting his head Dib tried to see beyond the smoke, but the explosion had thrown off his glasses and all he could see was a blur of color.

Dib tried to call out, but his lungs were gasping for air and his brain had decided that to deal with all the pain the best course of action was to go unconscious. For a moment he thought he saw a green colored blur move, but blackness engulfed him before he could confirm it.


	2. Success

_Pain._ The world, his very existence, was entirely made of piercing white-hot pain. Every cell was on fire, every inch burned. He was being pulled apart.

Then all at once the pain, or the cause of it stopped. The aching, stinging, awful, dull, burning feeling from the pain was still there, but as a hardened Irken elite that much was bearable. He healed quickly with his PAK... his PAK!

Zim opened his eyes, disoriented due to the mind-numbing pain from before. He couldn't feel his PAK. Placing his hands on the ground he pushed himself up to look, only to be startled by how far and fast he came off the ground. He blinked, studying the foreign things holding him up. But they weren't foreign, they were Irken arms, long arms, with long slender fingers.

Ignoring the burning in his muscles, Zim sat up and back so he could examine the rest of himself. His legs! His legs were so long, almost as long as he had been tall. His toes remained relatively unchanged, except for being further away from him. He glanced down at his torso, his chest cavity seemed to have expanded, widening his shoulders' width slightly, though his middle was much more narrow, he could almost wrap one newly long hand around his middle. Curious, Zim felt up his neck and face, feeling his neck slightly longer, and his head had become slightly higher, more rectangle. He looked over his new taller body once more, grinning widely despite the aching pain.

On a second once over, he noticed a strange line running from just above the join of his legs and down. Fearful, that his skin had stretched too much and was tearing, he gingerly touched the line. Despite a gentle prodding he couldn't get it to split, so Zim assumed that it was a healing scar from the transformation and gave it no further thought.

Carefully, he went on one knee and stood, only to misjudge the speed in which he moved and fell right back over again. He tried several more times, but couldn't seem to get the coordination quite right. He felt his face flush and frustration filled him. If Dib saw him floundering around like a—Dib!

Finally remembering that he had brought his ally over to bask in his glory, Zim whipped around to see how destroyed his lab had become. The Entallorator had exploded causing a great mess. Zim scowled in disgust.

"Computer!" he barked, his voice slightly different, just a little deeper. "Clean up this mess," he ordered as he spotted his PAK and crawled over to it. It was undamaged from the explosion, thank Irk, and he unlocked it and twisted his torso so it could reattach. He could feel the PAK reanalyzing him, not recognizing the new body at first, but after checking the DNA and finding that it was indeed still Zim, it granted him access to all his data again. Zim did a through body scan, updating his body into his data and a few seconds later he was able to use his limbs efficiently. Standing without issue Zim marveled at how tall he was. A mischievous glee filled him as he realized he could rival his Tallest in height. He had set the Entallorator to bring him to six feet, but after a quick calculation he found he was closer to seven at six feet and ten inches.

He had to show the Dib!

Where was he anyway?

Looking around for the human Zim spotted a familiar tuft of hair under debris from the explosion. "Dib-thing, get up," Zim said annoyed that Dib was hiding under there. Careful not to step on broken glass with his bare feet, he made his way over to the fallen cabinet. Receiving no response, Zim huffed in annoyance. "I can see you, Dib you can't hide from my superiority," he easily hefted the large and heavy metal off Dib and was prepared to gloat until he saw the shape of the human's body.

Cursing, Zim did a quick scan of the human's damages. "Computer!" Zim barked as he scooped up the prone and broken form, "Prepare the medical slab in healing room one," as he picked up Dib he felt the warm blood against his bare skin. Zim shuddered. "And prepare me some new clothes!" he used his foot to kick the button opening the elevator.

" **Fine** **_,_** " his computer drawled as it began to clean the mess and follow his master's other orders.

Zim arrived in the healing room and quickly placed the Dib on the examination slab before sprinting over to the decontamination shower. He dowsed himself in the cleansing gel and feverishly scrubbed at his new and perfect body with cleansing chalk to get all the icky bloody germs off. Knowing that he was just going to get whatever clothes he wore dirty again he had the computer make two sets of new clothes so he could change again after taking care of the Dib's injuries.

The computer had his new clothes ready by the time he was cleaned. Zim put on the new, longer, black pants with new black boots. The tunic was similar to his previous invader one, but because of his long legs, slits had to be placed on the sides to allow for more mobility. The shoulder spikes flared out a little more and the pink collar was a little more prominent but besides that everything else was the same. Lastly, Zim donned his long black gloves and then set his mind to the task ahead of him.

He was thankful that the human was unconscious. No doubt if he was awake he would be whining and squirming around wailing over the broken state he was in. To ensure the Dib stayed unconscious Zim quickly injected him with a powerful sedative and pain killer. Humans did not mend as quickly as Irkens, without assistance it would take weeks for the Dib to heal properly. Also the amount of icky blood leaking from the human was an issue. However, before the wounds could be addressed, Zim had to deal with the chemicals.

A large amount of hazardous toxins were soaked into Dib's clothes. Some were more dangerous to Zim than Dib, while others were causing minor burns that would start eating away the human's flesh if Zim did not act quickly. Grabbing a fiber laser, Zim rapidly waved it around the human's body, cleanly cutting through the fabric without touching the skin. It was one of Zim's own inventions, a necessary tool to use on himself when Gir's antics resulted in himself becoming covered with unquestionably horrible substances. He could cut his clothes off, burn them, and dowse himself in cleaning gel more efficiently that way. He never imagined he would be using his invention on another.

Using his hands and PAK legs, Zim pulled the cloth off from around Dib, scowling in frustration when the fabric stuck unpleasantly to the skin due to the slick wet blood or the sticky chemicals. Once all the cloth (and unavoidably some of Dib's skin) was clear, Zim could get to work on cleaning. Very carefully he used a highly absorbent cloth (again a Gir inspired invention) to soak up all the chemicals and blood on Dib's skin. Zim started at the largest and most worrying wound on the back of Dib's thigh. A large piece of glass had embedded itself right up to the bone.

After careful removal of the glass, Zim used superior Irken healing technology—cleverly stolen from the Vortians—to carefully reattach and mend the severed muscles, nerves and blood vessels. It was a long and painstakingly slow process, but by the time Zim sealed the skin back together all that was left was a nice long newly formed scar, it was pink and raw but it would only cause minor pain for a few days. There were other, similar wounds to tend to all along Dib's back, but those were minor in comparison.

Dib had chemical burns along his back and legs and though the toxins had been dealt with, human skin was not something his technology could synthesize. Reattaching and mending was one matter, regrowth was another. Vexed and feeling somewhat mocked by his inability to create such inferior skin, all Zim could do was slather the burns in healing gel and hope that Dib's body would be able to regenerate itself.

Pushing a button on the side of the healing table activated the hover function, lifting Dib's body a foot into the air and allowing Zim to turn him over and inspect for further damages. There were minor burns caused by the explosion and a few small lacerations, none requiring more than a layer of healing gel. The brunt of the damage had been caused by the impact and the cabinet falling on Dib.

With a satisfied nod, Zim finally stepped back. As predicted he was covered in his own sweat and Dib's blood. Wrinkling his face in disgust he discarded the soiled uniform and swept himself in cleansing gel once more before donning a fresh uniform. A grueling seven hours later and Dib was still in a state of unconsciousness. By Zim's calculations the drug would be wearing off within another hour or so. It was near four in the morning by Earth time, but Zim did not require sleep.

He DID, however, feel a burning hunger in his belly and grabbed a slew of snacks from the emergency snack stash in the healing room. He went through three bags of glorp jelly treats before the ravenous hunger dulled enough for him to actually taste the foods. Another three snack bags later and he could chew and eat at a more leisurely pace. Chip bag in hand, he went back over to deactivate the hovering button, but paused as a realization occurred to him.

Stepping back, Zim thoughtfully chewed and inspected the body before him. In the summer months when the sun's rays were unbearably hot, the Dib would often sit around without a shirt (this was after they became allies of course), but never had Zim seen him fully unclothed before. He was sure it was his new height that finally allowed him to realize this, but the Dib's legs were appealingly long. When the Dib was taller, his height annoyed Zim, but now that Zim was the taller one he could appreciate the height the human had. Dib wasn't the tallest of his species, but his form was by far the least appalling. The human's legs were made of long bones shrouded in toned muscles and taut skin. Irken muscles were not nearly as bulging as human ones, years of evolution and superiorness had them condensed and packed with power. Though looking at the Dib, there was a pleasant aesthetic to be had in the curves of human muscles.

While Zim's frame had slightly expanded, Dib's shoulders were still wider and his chest and abdomen thicker than his own. Of course, humans had many more organs and needed more body cavity to protect them, but again Zim didn't mind that the Dib was broader and bigger than himself because he now had a good foot and two inches in height over the human, not counting the single, antennae-like stalk of hair the Dib had on top of his head. But Zim wasn't counting his antennae in his height either.

Chewing and observing, Zim let his eyes freely roam over the unconscious human. He noticed the scars old and new, most of them caused by himself, Zim noted with a smirk. Irken bodies did not scar, but the human's body was like an account, a journal of their history, of their battles and their adventures. A few scars Zim couldn't pull up any memories on and he scowled at the thought of another marking up the skin that belonged to him.

Zim startled himself with the realization that he viewed the Dib as his. It was undoubtedly true, but he had never thought of the human in such definite terms before. They were allies, yes, but Dib was _his_ ally, no one else's. Even before the Dib had been _his_ enemy. The more he gave it thought, the more he liked the notion. His lips curved into a smile and Zim possessively placed his hand on the human's chest and trailed it along Dib's ribs.

" _Mine_ ," he whispered, the word faded out into the silence of the labs. With his hand on the human's chest he could feel the rise and fall with every breath Dib took, and a warmth began seeping into his glove. Curious, Zim tossed the now empty chip bag onto the counter where the computer would clean it up. With his hands free he removed one glove and placed it back on the human's chest.

Zim's eyes widened. Dib was so warm. Irkens were naturally cold and relied on their PAKs to keep their bodies warm enough to function. One of the many reasons Zim hated Earth was because at times his PAK had to work overtime to keep him warm and others it had to work extremely hard to not become overheated. How humans survived for so long in these extremes without a PAK was _slightly_ impressive.

Removing his hand Zim shivered at the contrast between the warm human and the cold of his lab. He quickly put back on his glove and while no longer cold he wasn't warm either. An idea occurred to him and Zim grinned at the amazingness of it. Deactivating the hovering function of the table, Zim scooped up the unconscious form and carried him through the labs.

Deep within his base was his resting room. Irkens didn't need sleep but every so often a time of rest was welcome. On enemy territory it wouldn't do to sleep and become vulnerable, but in rest-mode his mind would be semi-aware of his surroundings while his body and PAK went into a lower functioning mode. It was as close to sleep as Irkens would allow themselves when not in the safety of their Hive. Zim only occasionally allowed himself the luxury of rest-mode, and mostly after he had dealt with some of Gir's more taxing or germ-infested disasters.

Zim figured he deserved a rest, he had successfully become a taller, maybe as tall as the Tallest themselves, and he had spent hours fixing the human. The least the human could do was supply Zim with his warmth while he rested. He would take it as payment for using his precious materials on fixing the human. The door to his resting room opened as he approached and promptly shut and locked behind him. Zim reinforced the door, the room, the locks, and the vents so that at least this space was Gir proof. There wasn't much in the space besides a small stash of snacks and his resting place. In the center of the room was a large blanket securely suspended from the ceiling by attachments along the side, the Irken equivalent of a hammock. In the middle was a nest of blankets, mostly stolen from the department store's warehouse on the outside of town. Zim liked these blankets _because_ they were stolen and also because they were very warm and made of this incredibly soft, fuzzy material that felt so good against his skin.

He lightly tossed the human into the center, careful not to undo any of the work he had done on the human's fragile body. Stripping out of his uniform, Zim crawled onto his resting place and began his ritual of shifting, moving, rearranging and burrowing into the blankets until he created a dark and warm nest around himself. Once content, he finished the ritual by rubbing his face, head and antennae against the softest blanket. A pleased sigh escaped his lips and he hunkered down in his nest and pulled the human closer to him. The human's entire body radiated heat and Zim's cold skin greedily absorbed the warmth as he curled around the unconscious form. Zim tucked the human's face against his chest after he discovered that the Dib's hair was as soft as the blankets. He liked the feeling of it against his face and the scent was slightly pleasant as well. Fully content and warm, Zim let his body go into rest mode.

* * *

Waking up was like swimming through a thick fog. Dib's body woke up before his consciousness did. It didn't let his mind know much beyond the fact that it was cozy and warm. This lulled Dib into a sense of relaxation and thus his brain didn't fight that hard against the fog of a deep sleep. In fact, Dib didn't sense any danger at all, which only led him to believe that he was still asleep and only waking up inside of a dream. Only in his dreams was he ever fully relaxed.

Shifting slightly he tried to figure out what kind of dream he was in. On a rare occasion he was able to lucid dream and he wouldn't mind feeling this way again, even if it was just a dream. His hand bumped into something not quite warm, but not cold either. The texture was unmistakable though, it was skin and not just any skin, smooth alien skin.

 _Ah_. It was one of _those_ dreams. Dib thought he had outgrown them after passing out of his 'phase' but he had one every so often. Dib chalked it up to stress or indigestion or whenever. Since his brain had decided he was too stressed and needed a little release, Dib didn't fight against the dream and wrapped his arms around the dream-Zim. Something was odd though, in his dreams Zim's body fit perfectly against his chest and he could easily curl around the invader, but this time he couldn't. It was more like Zim was spooning him. Slightly bothered by this, Dib became a little more alert and tried to move away, but strong arms wrapped around him and a long leg swung over his trapping him in place. Dream-Zim was definitely bigger, bigger than himself. His heart began to pound as he realized that the roles might be reversed in this dream. Dib wasn't sure how he felt about this subliminal message from his mind, but his body didn't seem to care and reacted to the thought anyway.

"Dib-thing."

 _Oh, Einstein,_ even his voice was deeper.

"Don't you dare release your filthy human waste in Zim's resting place or I will undo all the healing on your filthy human body."

Dib's eyes shot open. That was not something a dream-Zim would say. That sounded too real to be a dream. He bolted up, fully awake and realizing that he was in-fact not dreaming. The room was dimly lit, but he could clearly see the form next to him. Something that sounded like Zim and looked a little like Zim, but was clearly not the Zim Dib knew propped himself up on one elbow, frowning with displeasure at Dib's sudden movement and thus letting some of the warmth escape from the blankets.

Waking up in this situation Dib did the only thing his brain could think of in the moment. He panicked. Flailing wildly Dib tried to back up but the surface he was on was highly unstable and swayed with his movements which wouldn't allow him to gain proper balance. On top of that the moment he began flailing, searing pain assaulted his nerves and he cried out. His body immediately went rigid before curling up and reducing him to a whimpering ball. His skin felt like it was on fire in patches all over and there was a deep dull throbbing in the back of his thigh.

"Stupid Dib-thing," Dib heard the Zim-not-Zim say and without any mishap the alien was able to move off the blanket mound. Dib felt the bed-thingy he was on shift from the removed weight. He heard the rustling of cloth. However, he was still cocooned in pain to notice anything else. "Now Zim will have to take you back to the med lab and fix any damage you did."

Dib didn't respond until he felt something grab his ankle and pull. Panic returned and Dib tried to fight by pulling away, but each movement was excruciatingly painful.

"Stop waving around like gorba sponge," Zim chided. "You are only making things worse."

Dib didn't know what a gorba sponge was, but each movement did hurt and his body gave out from the pain and allowed itself to be pulled to the edge. Blankets were ripped off from him and the cool air sent chills along Dib's skin, alerting him to another panic worthy discovery. He was naked. Zim tried to grab him but primal panic and confusion dulled the pain enough for Dib to smack away Zim's attempts at capture while he successfully rolled himself up in a blanket.

"Fine," Zim snapped. "If you want to be carried like a sack of potatoes, then so be it." Out from his PAK four tendrils with grabbing ends lunged towards the Dib-burrito and tugged and rolled the blanket until Dib was wrapped up and then slung over Zim's shoulder like Santa's sack.

Zim ignored Dib's muffled protests and shouts until he reached his destination. Knowing that Dib would not be a still patient for the more convenient and efficient hovering table, he begrudgingly set the human down on an examination table.

"Computer, restraints," he called the moment he let go of the blanket, releasing the Dib. Even pain-ridden Dib tried to escape the computers grasp, but in his weakened and fragile state he was easily subdued and his limbs properly secured. Since Zim didn't feel like fighting with the Dib when he was doing the human a favor, he turned away from the panicked form to search for a proper sedative.

Behind him he heard the human struggle against his bonds. "Let me go you Zim-impostor!"

That caught Zim's attention and he paused in his search to look back at the Dib. "Impostor?" Zim repeated going over to him. "Zim is no impostor. I am Zim! Were your brain-meats damaged in the explosion too? I don't have the equipment to fix those," Zim mumbled the last to himself.

"Explosion?" Dib repeated as faint bits of memory came back to him. His eyes widened when he remembered. "Zim, is that really you?" he asked the tall Irken. Looking at him, it clearly was Zim. The eyes were the same and the basic structure of his face only it looked older, more mature. His body could only be described as a bean pole, long and skinny-inhumanly so, but it didn't look bad just that much more alien. Zim was indeed taller with longer arms and legs. He had on his old uniform too just slightly altered to fit his new body. "You survived?"

Zim rolled his eyes at the human, but was relieved to see that he seemed calmer. "Yes, Dib-thing, I am Zim, of course my ingenious invention worked. I am a taller now, taller than you and perhaps even as tall as..." Zim trailed off to say it aloud seemed traitorous. "I am six feet and ten Earth inches," Zim declared proudly.

"Yeah, that is tall," Dib blinked.

Zim frowned. "You are not as amazed as I thought you would be."

"Zim, what happened? Why do I hurt so much? And why am I naked?" Dib asked trying to remain calm.

"My Entallorator worked," Zim began defensively, "But it did, um, explode. Unfortunately, your inferior squishy human body was caught in the blast and you knocked into one of my chemical storage units. It fell on top of you and spilled all kinds of horrible things on you. A large piece of glass this big," Zim held out his hands a foot apart. "Sliced through your leg right to the bone. You had many other lacerations and were an icky bloody mess, but with my superior technology I was able to heal most of the damage. Unfortunately, Irken technology cannot synthesize inferior human skin tissue so the chemical burns will have to be healed by your own body. Dib-thing?" Zim paused as he studied the human. "Your skin is paler than usual."

"Yeah, just don't give me anymore details about the explosion," that explained the deep throbbing in his leg and pain all over his body. Chemical burns didn't heal easily. "Thanks for not letting me die horribly."

Zim nodded in satisfaction. "If you died there would have been no point in becoming a taller. I would have no one to gloat about my tallness to." Zim leaned down over Dib and grinned. "I am much taller than you, Dib-thing, more than I expected to be. It must be due to my amazingness."

Dib swallowed as Zim lowered his face. Despite the fact that he knew this was just Zim, the new body was slightly...unnerving. He couldn't help feeling a little more anxious around Zim, though if that was because of the dream he thought he had been having, or his own lack of clothing, Dib couldn't say.

"Yeah, hey, that's just great. I'm very happy for you. Can I have my clothes back please? And can you let me go now?"

"I will have the computer make more clothes, yours were destroyed," Zim said then he eyed Dib, making Dib squirm and feel very uncomfortable. Zim noticed and he felt a zing of power run through him. With his new height he was intimidating the human, it felt delicious. He wanted to do more, but that would have to wait. "Your flailing has damaged your delicate skin. I will need to apply more healing gel and wrap your burns before you put on clothes. Will you be still or does Zim have to sedate you?"

"I'll be still, better yet, I'll put on the gel myself," Dib said brightly, fighting off the embarrassed panic he was in. He just wanted to be free and clothed.

Zim's antennae twitched. He could tell Dib was nervous, the subtle scent of fear was wafting off of him and it was mixing with another scent that was almost ticklish to his antennae. It gave them a tingling sensation which was rather pleasant. Zim grinned down at Dib, giving him what he wanted would make the fear go away and maybe the other scents too. He didn't want that, he wanted to do the opposite of what Dib wanted. It was finally his turn to tease the Dib.

"No," Zim said with wicked glee, knowing it would upset Dib. "It is my gel, I won't have your human hands anywhere near it. I will put it on myself."

"Then I don't need it," Dib said stubbornly.

"Then I will sedate you," Zim countered.

Dib scowled back, but recognized a losing fight. He really did want the healing gel, he knew it would numb some of the pain. Zim let him use it before. "Fine, you do it. Just let me up."

"Victory for Zim!" he shouted. "Computer release the Dib." The restraints holding down his limbs disappeared back into the table and Dib sat up, wincing as he did so. Each movement hurt. Zim noticed. "Can you walk to this table," he patted the table with the hovering ability, "Or will you need to be carried?"

"I can walk," Dib said hissing as his bare feet touched the cold metal of the floor. "Damn, Zim, your base is cold. Let's get this over with so I can get warm again." Now that he was paying attention, Dib found himself shivering. Thankfully his legs didn't give out and though the newly healed wound throbbed it didn't affect his ability to walk, of which Dib was grateful. He quickly made his way over to the table Zim indicated and sat happy to have his feet off the cold ground. Unfortunately, the table was cold as well.

"Lay down," Zim instructed.

"It's cold," Dib whined.

"It doesn't matter, just lay down."

"It matters to me," Dib muttered, but he stretched himself down on the table anyway. He wasn't expecting the table to levitate him and he flailed, caught off balance until Zim pressed a hand to his chest.

"Stop moving or you will fall," Zim chided.

"Well, warn me next time you decided to hover me in the air," Dib said grumpily then it occurred to him that he'd never seen this type of equipment before. "Hey, this is actually pretty cool. How does it function? I really am floating, how is it maintaining this exact height? It's weird that I can almost roll off the hovering part too. What-"

Zim cut off any further questions by slapping his gloved hand over Dib's mouth. PAK extensions whisked out and grabbed Dib's hands that were currently trying to reach down and fiddle with the controls. Clamping down on Dib's wrists he pulled Dib's arms above his head and loomed over his face.

"Stop. Moving." Annoyed red eyes burrowed into Dib's. When Dib stopped moving and trying to speak though Zim's hand, Zim removed it. Keeping a sharp eye on the human, he grabbed the healing gel and scooped a large glob out and started to slather it on Dib's chest.

"Hey, um, Zim? Could you let go of my wrists?" Dib said trying to keep focused. Being naked was bringing up a lot of old thoughts from that 'phase' and he hadn't taken care of himself in a while so his mind was grasping onto those thoughts with much more vigor. Usually he could push them down and chalk it up to his overactive imagination, but it was very hard to do so in his current situation.

Zim paused and his face shifted from focused to inquisitive. "Why? Our agreement is that neither of us will experiment on the other, you have nothing to fear. However, I do not want your curious grabby hands all over my equipment. If you disrupt the settings and move too much you will fall and make even more work for me."

"I'm not afraid, Zim," Dib scowled wanting to be clear he wasn't just some nervous kid again. Besides Zim had him in worse situations, however he'd been properly clothed for all of them. "I'm just not too fond of being held down naked, okay?"

"You dislike it?"

"Obviously!"

A wicked grin slowly split across Zim's face and he made a happy sound as we went back to lathering on the healing gel. "This is to help you heal, so you can't get mad," he said pleased as punch that he could torment Dib and still be within bounds of their companionship. "I have no clothes for you yet and if I let go you will just get grabby again so let Zim work," he said rather cheery as he finished applying the gel to Dib's chest and moved onto his stomach.

Dib ground his teeth and tried his best to not be hypersensitive to the feeling of Zim's hands sliding along his stomach, along his hips and then on the side of his thigh. After pushing a button on the table with a PAK leg, Dib was rotated on his side facing away from Zim. For that, Dib was glad because his face was turning a bright red as Zim put healing gel on the upper area of his buttock. The chemical burns were the worst on his back and now that he was aware of it he could feel the places where he had been burned. But as the pain began to turn into a dull throb and then a pleasant numb tingling, his body began to focus on the feeling of Zim's new long fingers stroking his skin. It was weird, alluring and unnerving all at once which was only amplified by the fact that his hands were restrained and—apparently—all that was hitting his kink.

"Hey, you almost done?" Dib asked trying to remain as calm and even toned as possible. He was not going to acknowledge the odd squeak in his voice or the fact that his body rather liked having his butt stroked. It was perfectly normal. He just had a near death experience it was scientifically explainable that he would react to such stimulus. Also he hadn't thought about sex in a while so anything could stir him up. He was long out of his 'phase' so there was _no_ other reason why he was reacting to Zim touching him. Nope. None. Not a single reason.

"The more you distract me the longer it will take, stupid worm-baby," Zim tisked. "If you hadn't flailed around and irritated all the burns then I—," Zim cut himself off mid-sentence and Dib chanced a glance back to see what caused Zim to stop. Not many things could make Zim stop talking.

Dib paled as Zim's scowl was directed towards the lower part of his anatomy. Those deep red angry eyes then directed their gaze to meet Dib's and while Dib had never felt such horror he couldn't make what was happening stop either.

"Dib-thing," Zim began sounding completely disgusted and Dib froze, his mind racing with every excuse but unable to voice any of them. "If you release your human waste fluids on my table I will reverse all your healing."

"W-Wha?" Dib blinked the seething shame he expected not happening.

Zim pointed indignantly to Dib's half-hard member, "Do not lie to Zim! I am aware of how you humans deal with your inferior bodies' waste. You will wait until I finish with the healing gel, _then_ you can use the bathroom—which is a stupid name for it. There are no bathing units in any bathroom that Zim has seen. I did not install such a stupid facility in my base for you to not use and make a germ ridden mess in my beautiful base," Zim ranted angrily still pointing to Dib's crotch.

"Ah, right, okay. Then can you finish real quick so I can go use that?" Dib said thanking every paranormal deity he could think of for Zim's lack of understanding.

"Fine, I just have your other leg to finish," Zim said grumpily as he rotated Dib to face him, giving him better access to the burns. He gave Dib's crotch one last distrustful look, which set Dib's face aflame, as he applied the last amount of the gel. While Zim worked Dib feverishly recited mathematical formulas in his head to try and distract himself. It didn't work, but Dib felt better for trying.

"Done," Zim finally said releasing Dib and stepping back after deactivating the hovering table. "Go release your human waste," he said as Dib hopped off the table and rushed to the bathroom Zim installed for him. "Make sure you are clean when you come out!" Zim shouted after him. "I still need to wrap your burns."

Dib shut and locked the door behind him. He was now faced with a serious dilemma. He could wait until he calmed down, but that ran the risk of becoming un-calm again when Zim bandaged him, which was a distinct possibility. Dib sighed and sat down on the purple toilet. Was he seriously going to jerk himself off in Zim's lab? What if Zim had secret cameras installed or the computer was watching him? Also if he took too long he ran the risk of Zim coming after him.

Before coming to a real conclusion, Dib found his hand already working. The idea of Zim spying somehow making things worse. Fortunately, it wasn't going to take him long now. The only thing he could think of as a defense in this situation was to stand and lean over the toilet. At least if Zim _did_ bust in, it would look somewhat normal.

A few moments later, Dib flushed the toilet and washed and wiped himself clean. He felt much better, but a weird guilty shame filled him as it often did when he was going through his ' _phase'._ Zim knew nothing on this topic and using the alien's touch as stimulation when all Zim had been trying to do was heal him, made Dib feel terribly guilty. Eventually he'd find enough excuses to make himself feel better and explain everything as a physical and natural reaction, but until then he felt like the worst kind of friend.


	3. It's a Bet

A pounding on the door jarred Dib from his depressive thoughts and he quickly brought his hands in front to cover himself.

"Dib-thing, hurry up and come out," Zim said clearly having lost his patience. "I need to apply these bandages."

"I'm done, hold on," Dib said pushing the unlock button then quickly bringing his hands back to their protective position.

Zim stood in front of the door, his arms crossed and his foot impatiently tapping. Dib blinked taken by surprise once more by Zim's new tall body. This was going to take some getting used to.

"Come," Zim demanded and turned on his heel back into the medical section of his base. "Sit," he pointed to the hovering table again.

Dib quickly obeyed and sat down keeping his hands cupped to keep modest. "I won't touch anything," Dib said hastily when he saw Zim's PAK open.

Zim eyed Dib dubiously, but the PAK tendril retreated. "If you move even the slightest bit, I will completely restrain you," Zim warned. Dib nodded in agreement and Zim motioned for Dib to lay down again. True to his word, Dib didn't move a muscle and kept his hands locked in place as Zim applied his Irken bandages. The tech even for these was pretty cool. They looked like squares of cloth, but when Zim smoothed them out they formed to his skin and stayed in place.

After applying the last bandage, Zim let Dib off the table and brought over a neatly folded pile of clothes; boots identical to his previous ones, black pants, which were more like tights as they covered his feet too. The only thing missing was his underwear, which Dib decided not to make a big deal about. His shirt was previously a blue long sleeve with the swollen eyeball symbol (a members only purchase which meant if he wanted another he'd have to put in another order). Now he held a blue shirt with a black Irken symbol on the front.

"What's with the shirt?" Dib asked though he put it on anyway.

Zim nodded approvingly once Dib was fully dressed. "It is custom to mark one's belongings."

Dib looked down at the shirt then raised an eyebrow at Zim, "Excuse me?"

Zim made an impatient noise. "You were my enemy, now you are my ally. Mine. You belong to me. No other can have you."

Dib opened his mouth to argue, but seeing as how Zim healed him he supposed he could let this slide. Then again it was the ex-invader's fault he had been hurt in the first place. However, technically, Zim was sort of right. He wasn't Zim's belonging, but he did kind of 'belong' to Zim just as Zim kind of 'belonged' to Dib as _his_ alien.

"I see my superior reasoning has turned you into a speechless aquatic creature," Zim said haughtily.

Dib snapped his mouth shut again after realizing that he had been opening and closing his mouth as he internally debated starting an argument with Zim. He didn't even bother correcting Zim that he had been acting like a _fish_ and not just anything that lived in water. In the end he couldn't help himself.

"Zim, you realize by that logic you belong to me as well. You were my enemy, now you're my friend and even more so you're my secret. I'm the only one that knows you're an alien—well, except for Gaz but she doesn't really count—so you're sort of my alien too," Dib said and prepared for the shouting.

Zim hummed thoughtfully, surprising Dib and making him intently watch the ex-invader. "I suppose there is some level of equivalent exchange, _some_ ," Zim added seeing Dib's shocked expression. "It's like if I were your master and you my human slave. You would be mine, but I would also be yours, because I would be your master and overlord," Zim said making sure to place emphasis on being the master.

Dib chuckled at Zim's logic. "Sure, Zim, you're right. So it's a good thing for me that we're allies. I don't think I would make a good slave."

"Have you the brain-worms? You would make an excellent slave," Zim said and weirdly enough sounding like an encouraging friend. "You are smart and your physical abilities are close to Irken level. You are a prime candidate to be an Invader's personal slave," Zim said smiling faintly as he gazed off in a wistful manner. "You would be the perfect slave. You wouldn't surrender right away, there would be weeks, months, before you would be broken down enough to surrender and serve. Your surrender, it would be _delicious,_ " Zim said sounding a bit too excited about it and almost shouting the word.

"Of course, you wouldn't be broken down completely, no that wouldn't do. There would still be fight, a spark of defiance in your eyes. Most of the time you would be docile, compliant, but it would all be for a moment of opportunity for you to fight back. You would wait and watch for an opening. Of course I would know and I would never show weakness, but there would be times when I would purposefully leave a weapon unattended, or turn my back at the right moment and you would attack. Then we would have an epic battle and of course I would win. Your defeat would be enough to subjugate you for a while, but that look in your eyes would remain. _Hmm,_ " Zim gave a pleased hum. "Ah, the look on your face as you surrender, the words of submission would taste bitter in your mouth, but they would be oh so sweet to my antennae. And then you would wait again for the next moment and it would never end. You would be mine to fight and submit to me forever."

"You've given this a lot of thought, huh," Dib said trying to remain calm. "Could you, um, stop petting me now?"

As Zim monologued, lost in his fantasies, his hand had unconsciously reached out and touched Dib's head. At first Zim just placed it there and Dib had rolled his eyes, but the more Zim spoke the more his hand began to move; shifting through his hair, wrapping the scythe lock around his fingers and stroking Dib's head in circles from the top to the base of his skull, around his ears and then back again. The movements had Dib frozen not sure what to do because while he didn't like the idea of being fantasized about as a slave, he also found the touching to be rather nice.

"Hm?" Zim said turning his attention away from his thoughts to reality. He saw his hand stroking Dib's head. It was how he would have touched Dib if he were a good slave and stayed obedient at his side. He entertained the idea of Dib as his slave for a moment longer before withdrawing his hand. "Since you are not a slave, allies is fine I suppose," Zim said. "Wearing my mark is enough," He wrinkled the skin where a nose would be as he mulled over his next thought. "And I _suppose_ you would like Zim to wear your mark as well, so that others know we are allies."

"No, that's fine," Dib said both relieved and disappointed at the lack of touch. "I think that having you join the Swollen Eyeballs would cause more trouble than it's worth. They do extensive background checks on all their members and you're an alien so you don't have a background, it would just create a mess. I'll take the shirt as an X-mas gift. It is X-mas right?" Dib said. Pretty sure that while he was passed out from his wounds that it had to have gone past midnight. He'd come over around nine.

Zim scrutinized him thoughtfully for a moment and truthfully Dib had no idea what the alien was thinking. It was sort of difficult to read Zim's expressions and body language as finitely as he did before. It was a completely different body after all.

"Yes, it is the next day," Zim said eventually and slipped back into an arrogant posture with his hands placed at the small of his back. "It only took Zim seven hours what _months_ of human healing would have done. Irken technology was not made to synthesize inferior human skin, which is the only reason you have the burns," Zim said defensively. "Though," he said thoughtfully. "I might start research on how to convert Irken technology to create human skin. Should you get burned again I do not want to spend such time patching you up and waiting for you to heal naturally. It takes too much time."

"Really? Well, thanks I guess," Dib said a bit touched and thus a little embarrassed.

"Yes, yes, Zim is amazing," he said dismissively his thoughts already focusing on this next project he had created for himself.

"Hey, how about I take you out to dinner later tonight? There is new fancy place I want to try out," Dib said, this was nothing new. Now that they were friends Dib often took the alien out to different restaurants and places that humans often frequented. "My treat, it will be my gift to you," of course Dib always paid for Zim when they went out, or more accurately his agent did. Dib would never tell Zim but his agent often had him go and try out different venues. Besides his book series he also did the occasional restaurant review. His job was to go to places discretely and review them. Despite being a successful author and the only son of Professor Membrane, unless he was at a signing or next to his Dad on stage and announced as such, no one recognized him. And even when he was recognized it was never a pleasant experience for Dib. After all it was his books that were popular, not himself.

It utterly baffled his agent that Dib had this ability to blend in and never get recognized despite his picture being on the back of his books, but it suited Dib just fine. He often took Zim with him as it was never boring and the Irken always found something amiss with the place which gave Dib ideas for constructive criticism and thoughtful suggestions. That is what made his reviews so sought after; he never gave a five star review and the industry flooded his agent with requests to finally be the place that would receive five stars from the critic: M. Oth Man.

He had planned on inviting Zim out on X-mas to try out some new fancy restaurant his agent wanted him to review. Even though Dib was on his vacation from writing, he didn't mind doing the reviews and (as his agent pointed out) he didn't have much else to do.

Zim made a sound like he wasn't tempted by the offer and was unwilling to waste his time on such trivial things. Of course Dib expected this, it was part of the normal routine. Zim always ended up agreeing and while he complained most of the time Dib could tell the alien did enjoy going out.

So Dib did what he always did, he offered a perfectly rational reason why it would benefit Zim to accompany him. "It would give you a chance to do a field test on your new body."

He saw Zim's eyes light up as they always did and he latched onto the idea, "Yes, yes, Zim needs to see how my new height will make more smelly humans submit to me."

Dib's smile faltered a moment as he realized _how_ Zim's new height would impact their 'outings'. Because Zim had been a short four feet tall, their outings looked more like a brother/uncle/cousin taking out his annoying younger sibling/nephew/cousin. It also meant that Zim could get away with being rude and short tempered because people tolerated kids being that way more than they did adults. Also Zim never noticed that people treated him like a child and thus paid him more attention. How would the adult-looking Zim react to that lack of treatment?

"Um, maybe we should wait until after X-mas," Dib said thinking about the disaster that would occur should he take Zim to that restaurant. Dib would just have to go by himself another day. "Or we could go to someplace more casual, like that ice cream place you liked."

Zim narrowed his eyes suspiciously. Apparently Dib hadn't schooled his features enough to casually deter Zim. One thing Zim hated more than having his height pointed out was being told not to do something.

"What secrets are you keeping Dib-thing?" Zim asked and approached the human. A small thrill ran through him when Dib backed up and avoided eye-contact. He was _intimidating_ to the human, a very new and very exciting sensation and one he planned to use to the fullest. "You will take me to this 'fancy' human place, or you will tell me the secrets of this place that you are trying to keep from me," Zim said advancing on the human until he was backed against a wall and Zim loomed over him.

 _Oh god._ He wasn't going to get away with this was he? Dib swallowed and feverishly tried to come up with some excuse he could use to get himself out of the hole he dug. Unfortunately, with Zim so close and his brain still mixed up about how it felt about Zim's new height, Dib couldn't think of any way out. "Fine!" He blurted. "Okay, I'll take you," he said and slipped out from the wall. He crossed his arms and stubbornly faced the Irken. "But you can't wear your inform. You have to wear a suit, the human formal clothing. You look older so you can't get away with wearing your uniform anymore."

"Older?" Zim blinked in confusion. "I am older than any stinky human. My age didn't change."

"I know that," Dib said rolling his eyes. "But to humans you are an adult now, so you have to follow the same rules that apply to other adults."

"Now?" Zim repeated and Dib instantly realized his mistake. Zim saw the _oh-shit_ expression on Dib's face and he snarled as he grabbed the collar of Dib's coat and spun him to slam him against the wall.

 _"_ _Dib,"_ Zim hissed his name. "Have you been treating Zim like a _smeet?"_

There was only one safe way to answer this question. "No! Of course not. Never. Nope." Zim applied a little more pressure against Dib's collarbone. _"Ow!_ Stop, that hurts," Dib winced.

"It will continue to hurt until you stop lying to Zim," he hissed as his PAK legs popped out.

"I don't think of you as a smeet," Dib said.

A PAK leg pressed its point into Dib's shoulder, it wasn't gentle about it either.

"I only treat you like a smeet when you act like one!" Dib blurted out.

Zim let up, the ridiculousness of Dib's statement making him withdraw. He was a superior and amazing Irken, he never acted like a smeet. The nerve of the Dib!

"Throwing a tantrum when the ice cream place doesn't have your favorite flavor is childish. Demanding to order first is childish. Blurting out whatever you think about the waitstaff or the food is childish, well, it's mostly just rude but children can get away with that more than adults. Adults are expected to be polite and well-mannered in public. Let's face it, Zim, you couldn't be civil to humans if your life depended on it. We're friends and you're hardly nice to me," Dib said exasperated.

"I healed you!" Zim said defensive.

"After causing the damage in the first place! I bet you couldn't last one evening without insulting anyone or causing a scene in public," Dib crossed his arms. "So let's just forget about it and get something delivered to your house."

Zim narrowed his eyes at Dib, "Five thirty."

"What?"

Zim clenched his hands into fists. "You will come pick me up at five-thirty this evening. I will take your bet, Dib-thing. I will show you what an Invader can do. I will master your filthy human civilness. And when I win you will let me officially brand you as my human slave, my property."

"You're on space-boy. You'll never win. You won't last that long. So when you fail, you will give me full access to your computer's database," Dib said smug.

"I will be victorious!" Zim glared. "I will be fancy and civil and you will grovel at my amazingness."

"Whatever, alien," Dib said. "I'll come back at five-thrity. Let's see if you can even come up with the proper outfit. I'll even give you a hint. We're going to the SkyLoft downtown, we have a reservation for the holiday dinner at six. They list their dress code online. I can't wait to see how you mess this up," Dib laughed.

Zim grinned evilly. "I can't wait to see how fast you can run back home. WITHOUT YOUR COAT!" he laughed maniacally and then slammed his fist down on a button.

A tube dropped down over him and immediately a great sucking force thrust him up and sent him sprawling out onto the front lawn. He rolled several times in the thick blanket of snow swearing loudly. It was still dark, the sun just barely coming up, and it was _damn_ cold! Shivering violently, it took his body a moment to recover from the shock of the extreme cold. There was one thing Zim was right about. If he didn't want to get frostbite he _was_ going to have to run home.

"Dammit Zim!" Dib cursed at the house, knowing that Zim could probably hear him. Brushing off what snow he could Dib wadded through the thick blanket until he reached the small pathway leading from the street to Zim's door. He stepped onto the sidewalk and then immediately slipped and fell on his backend. Dib swore he could hear Zim cackle from far below the ground.

At least his embarrassment made him feel a little warmer. Grumbling he picked himself back up and _walked_ down the street. Once he was far enough from Zim's house he chanced running again to get quickly back home where it was warm. He'd wait until five-thirty and then he'd treat himself to all the information Zim's computer had, because there was no way Zim could pass their bet.

* * *

Zim chuckled as he watched Dib pick himself up and _carefully_ walk down the sidewalk. He'd show the now _smaller_ Dib that he, Zim, was the taller more superior one now. Then he'd be able to properly mark Dib as his property. He'd make it painful too, that way Dib would never forget about it. Each time he looked at the mark, he'd remember the pain and thus remember Zim. He wouldn't be forgotten, never again.

His thoughts turned dark for a moment, but Zim shook himself of the memories and placed his hands behind his back. "Computer! Pull up all the information you have on formal human clothing and fancy dinners."

" **Fine,** " his computer said. " **But first you should probably look at this message."**

"What message?" Zim asked cocking one antennae to the side.

" **I just received a message from the Tallest.** "

Zim went rigid. He hadn't heard from them since _that day_. In fact Zim cut all communication with Irk, other Irkens and the armada since _that day._ Fear; a foreign and unpleasant concept took hold of him. But, despite what others said, he was an invader and he would not let himself be controlled by this fear.

"Play it," Zim said sounding more resolved than he felt.

" _Zim_ ," Tallest Red spoke and despite knowing it was a recording he couldn't help the feeling of wanting to drop to his knees and beg forgiveness, to be accepted back. To be a part of his race again. He spent so much time in denial, waiting for them to call back, to tell them it had all been a huge elaborate prank. He knew how much the Tallest loved their pranks. It had been years now and still, even seeing the unhappy expressions of his Tallest on the screen, part of his brain decided to spark with hope that this was their admittance to this long horrible joke, that everything they said before was a lie.

" _We don't know how you did it,"_ Tallest Red continued. " _And if you weren't already excommunicated from the Irken race we would have a team sent out to deactivate you. We wouldn't even bring you back to get deactivated. We would just hire other aliens to kill you."_

Zim clutched at his uniform, the piercing pain returning to him once again. They would even deny him death among his people. If he was brought back to be killed, he would at least be surrounded by his people once more, once more part of the massive hive, the community. Even if he was hated it was better to feel them close than to die without them.

" _We just wanted you to know that,"_ Tallest Red said and Tallest Purple chimed in with a ' _yeah_ ' before going back to angrily slurping from an Irken soda. How long has it been since he had an Irken soda? Any rations or supplies he had to make with what he had left in his lab or find Earth substitutes.

" _So with all that,"_ Tallest Red continued. " _It has come to our attention that you have become a Taller. It is Irken Law that any Irken reaching the height of a Taller will be provided with the PAK upgrade that explains all the privileges that such a rank_ _entails. We thought about ignoring the law,_ " Tallest Red said.

" _Because we hate you,"_ Tallest Purple added in.

" _Right, because we hate you,_ " Tallest Red agreed. " _But then we thought about it and giving you the upgrade while you are completely alone and forbidden any contact with any other Irken is, well, an even better punishment. So we're sending you the upgrade."_

 _"Because we hate you,"_ Tallest Purple said again.

 _"_ _Yeah,"_ Tallest Red nodded. " _And since you obviously wanted to be a Taller even as shameless as it is to become one, you might as well make it official. You'll be the first Irken to be a failure as both a smaller and a Taller,"_ Tallest Red scoffed. " _So use it, Zim. This is the last order we will ever give you. Use it and see what suffering is in store for you as the only Taller Irken in that section of the galaxy. And remember, all your gear is rigged to explode if you leave that Solar system. Enjoy your new status,_ " Tallest Red said with malicious glee and the two of them began laughing.

The message cut off and Zim stared at the black screen, his new form's reflection staring blankly back at him.

" **Uh, Zim?** " His computer prompted after Zim remained motionless for an entire hour.

"Send the upgrade to the charging station," Zim said turning sharply.

" **Are you sure that's a good idea? Can't you just...not...upgrade?** " the computer suggested.

"My Tallest ordered it," Zim said bitterly. "I can't disobey. I won't be known as a coward."

" **They wouldn't know. No one would,** " the computer pointed out logically.

"I would," Zim said having reached the deepest part of his lab. This place was different from the resting room he made for himself, the one he was just in with Dib. This room only had a specialized chair with wicked looking machinery hooked up to it. It would detach his PAK and connect him to the life-support chair while other wiring hooked into his PAK and downloaded the upgrade before reconnecting and then finalizing the download. The process would render him unconscious for a few hours at least.

There would still be plenty of time to finish his research for his bet with the Dib. After this Zim would need something to distract himself. Something to look forward too. Beating Dib and then engraving his mark, not the Irken mark, or the Armada's mark, but his onto Dib's body would be just the thing he needed.

Zim sat down. "Initiate download."


	4. A Taller's Needs

**OK! Format should be fixed! Thanks for letting me know!**

* * *

Dib pulled up in front of Zim's house in his car. He could leave it on the sidewalk for a little while but if Zim screwed up as much as Dib expected him to, then he'd have to go move it. He knew he'd have to move it, but if he showed up without his car Zim would flip and probably refuse to acknowledge that Dib won. He had to show Zim that he had failed while at the same time pretending like he hadn't expected Zim to fail. It was a complicated dance Dib had had a lot of practice with. He also brought a change of clothes because he wasn't going to hang out in Zim's base in a suit, they were too uncomfortable.

Carefully, Dib walked down the path. The sun had come and gone so it was dark and cold once again. His suit, even with his jacket, wasn't very warm and shivering he rang the doorbell. With an exasperated noise Dib rang the bell again.

"Dammit, Zim, not again! Let me in," Dib said annoyed that the invader was testing him again.

The door opened and Dib was about to tell Zim off when he noticed there was no one in front of him. Looking down he saw Gir happily grinning up at him.

"Mary!" he hugged Dib's leg and thankfully the robot wasn't covering in something horrible or sticky. Dib hobbled inside and shut the door behind him. Once inside Gir pulled off his green dog hood and ran around the couch before hopping on it and going back to watching TV. "Master is in the basement," Gir said picking his bowl of popcorn back up. He pointed excitedly to the screen. "Jeff just found out that the baby isn't his."

Dib took a peek at the screen, Gir was watching a documentary on micro organisms, currently on the screen was a close up of dust mites.

"Did Zim tell you where in the lab he was?" Dib asked. "Or where I should meet him?"

Gir thought for a moment. "Nope!" he said chipper and shoved a handful of popcorn into his mouth.

Knowing it was futile to ask more, Dib went into the kitchen. He opened the fridge and pressed the secret button that moved the shelves of Gir's food out of the way and revealed an elevator. Dib preferred this one over the trash can or the toilet in the corner, this one was big enough for him to stand in without trouble and Dib imagined that Zim would be using more of this elevator now that he was taller.

Descending into the depths of Zim's lab, Dib exited the elevator to Zim's basic level. It housed most of his lab equipment and was the general use area. Dib looked around, the lab was completely clean with no signs that there had even been an explosion earlier that day.

"Zim?" Dib called out. "Gir let me in," he said to make it clear he hadn't broken their truce. "Zim, it's almost five-thirty, are you ready?" Dib waited but heard nothing. "Oh, I'll just wait here _alone_ with all your experiments and your computer," Dib said rather loudly and waited, still nothing. He sat down at the chair. "If you don't show up, I'll just take that as permission for me to access all your files then. Here I go. My hands are on the computer. I'm clicking on files to open. Yep. I'm reading them now. Wow! Look at all these secrets! I'm learning all kinds of juicy secrets and— _god damnit_ ," Dib swore softly with a sigh and pushed away from the untouched computer. He leaned back in the chair and spoke up to the ceiling. "Hey, Computer, where is Zim and what the hell is he doing?"

" **He's** **at the charging station, three levels below. He's currently having a mental breakdown. I told him not to upgrade.** "

"What?!" Dib bolted up. "How do I get down there? What happened? What did he upgrade this time? How badly did he get it wrong?"

" **It wasn't one of his self-made upgrades** ," the computer said knowing full well what happened last time Zim tried to 'upgrade' his PAK legs. It was a surprise there had been enough left of the base for him to repair. " **It was one from Irk. The Tallest sent him a message along with the upgrade. Want to watch it?** " the Computer asked after a slight pause.

Dib wavered for a moment. He wanted to see it, but he also didn't want to intrude on Zim's privacy too much and ruin the balance they had. On the other hand, the message might have clues on how to help Zim's broken PAK.

"Yeah, play it."

The message played. Dib watched.

"Damn," Dib swore softly. "Computer, did Zim know about the banishment before?"

" **Yeah.** "

"How did he handle it then?"

" **You know,** " the computer said.

"I can guess. This happened that time he disappeared for a while, right? After that things were different, they still are different. Better in my opinion but," Dib sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I didn't know such a shitty thing had happened to him. I mean I suspected something. Maybe getting demoted or something, but this? What was in that upgrade?" Dib asked as he found the elevator that would take him lower into the very depths of Zim's lab.

" **Tallers are the backbone of Irken society. They become center points in the Hive.** "

"Hive?" Dib asked as the elevator descended.

" **Yes, Irkens thrive off of their numbers and only live in large groups. Invaders, however, are different. They are the only Irkens that live so far and separate from the Hive. They still crave the closeness of their Hive and other Irkens but are able to tolerate the separation. Tallers, however, become center points and thrive off of the attention and closeness of the Hive. They rarely travel away from the group and never do so alone. They are extremely valued by the smallers as they are the ones that create the Hive feeling,** " the Computer explained. " **Tallers are necessary especially for Irkens that do not have access to the Tallest. Tallers also crave the closeness of other Tallers which is why most Tallers travel in groups together and never leave the Hive.** "

"If Zim knew all this and knew about his exile why the hell did he want to make himself tall?" Dib punched the elevator wall frustrated beyond measure at Zim's stupidity.

" **He didn't.** "

"What?" Dib looked up sharply despite not being able to see where the Computer's voice came from.

" **All this information was downloaded with the upgrade. My knowledge about the Hive and the role Tallers have in Irken society was also upgraded with the download.** "

The elevator stopped. "Where is Zim?" Dib asked a feeling a dread coming over him.

In answer the door opened to the charging station... or what was left of it.

Wires sparked and dangled, snapped off and broken from the ceiling. Deep gashes from claws were carved into the walls and metal tubes and what might have been a charging station was torn apart and thrown across the small room. In the back among the mess, Dib recognized Zim's form. He'd fallen to his knees and hunched over, his head almost touching the ground. Dib had never seen him look so...small, so vulnerable.

"Zim?" Dib called out cautiously, not wanting to startle the unstable Irken. But not even his antennae twitched. As Dib slowly approached he kept calling out his name hoping to gain his attention. Finally, he came around to the front of him and with a shaky hand rested it on Zim's shoulder.

Zim moved and Dib jerked his hand back. Slowly Zim straightened his spine to sit up. His usually bright eyes were cloudy and blank and unmistakably puffy. "Dib," his voice was horse, probably from screaming or crying or both. His eyes seemed to focus. "Have you come to kill me?"

"No, Zim, I came to pick you up for dinner," Dib said slowly and carefully.

"Our bet," Zim said after a moment. "If I tell you that you win will you kill me?"

"No, I won't," Dib said gently.

"Can you?" he asked a slight hopeful plea in his voice.

"What? No! I'm not going to kill you, Zim," Dib said grabbing his shoulders. "C'mon, let's get in the elevator. Let's go up to the house level. You need to get out of this room."

"No!" Zim said shoving Dib back. His eyes cleared and he glared at the human. Dib had to do some crazy balancing to not trip and impale himself on the debris. "I don't _need_ to get out of this room. You have no idea what I _need_ stupid Earth-monkey!"

"Yes, I do," Dib shouted back. "I saw the message, the computer told me about the upgrade."

For a flash Dib saw Zim's shame and shock, but he quickly covered it up with anger. "What? Are you are taking pity on Zim? I was an Invader _IRK IT!_ " He slammed his fist on the ground indenting the metal. "Invaders need no one! But they even took that away from me. They knew! They KNEW!" Zim screamed and clutched at his head, his sharp claws digging into his skin until they drew blood.

"Zim! Stop that! Zim, listen to me!" Dib said grabbing Zim's arms and trying to pull his sharp hands away from his flesh. "You are going to be fine!"

"What do you know?!" Zim yelled and glared up at Dib incredulously.

"It sucks, it's awful, it hurts," Dib yelled back waving his arms around at the room. "Destroy a thousand rooms if you need to. But you've beat this feeling before, right?"

"That was different!" Zim shot back. "I was a smaller, I craved the collective but I didn't _need_ it. Now there is this...this thing missing," Zim clutched at his uniform, his face twisting in pain. "I would gladly go back to Irk and let myself be killed just to feel the collective once more, but the Tallest made it clear they wouldn't even give me that. I would be killed before I could even reach another Irken. I've never felt so...defective," Zim sagged down to the floor. "Even knowing about the banishment wasn't this awful. If I had known..." bleak hopelessness took over his features. "You must kill me, Dib-thing. I cannot do it myself, my PAK will revive me. Kill me and then destroy my PAK. You can then have my body for whatever experiments you want."

"I am _not_ going to kill you!" Dib gripped Zim's shoulders.

"Why not?!" Zim sparked back to life with anger. "You will get your fame for bringing an alien body to your authorities. We are allies! Why must you make me suffer so?" The pain in his voice resonated so strongly with the pain Dib had buried down so deep inside himself.

"Because if you're gone I will suffer!" Dib snapped back letting his own pain show on his face, startling Zim. Seeing his shocked expression Dib sighed and sat back, careful not to sit on anything broken or sharp. "Zim, just think for a moment. How many others do you see me interacting with? Only my agent," Dib said not waiting for Zim to answer. "But because it's my work. I occasionally work with the Swollen Eyeballs but we never meet in person and only talk to discuss cases. My own father has practically forgotten my sister and I exist. And I only get along with Gaz when we aren't anywhere _near_ each other.

"Humans are social creatures too, Zim. We thrive in societies and need interactions with others on some level. On holidays it is tradition to spend time with those that we value most; family, friends, lovers. Who do I spend my time with?" Dib asked pointedly.

"Me?" Zim said slowly, thinking back over the years and realizing that what Dib said was true.

"Right, so if you died I would be alone. I wouldn't have anyone. I'm not taking pity on you, Zim, and I won't kill you. I need you around. I live on an entire planet of humans and not one wants to spend time around me. I know what it's like to be alone. It sucks," Dib picked up a hunk of metal and threw it across the room. "Do you remember that in Hi-Skool I was only sent to the Crazy House for Boys once?"

"Yes," Zim narrowed his eyes at Dib.

"Yeah, well did you ever notice that it was around that time that I stopped trying to prove to everyone you were an alien?" Dib asked.

Zim frowned as he thought and reviewed his PAK memories. A lot had happened around that time, it had been a few years after the call from his Tallest, but he had still been adjusting to the change and finally accepting that it wasn't a joke. Zim had never given it much thought because Dib still chased after him and tried to stop his plots to take over the Earth. But thinking about it now, Dib never really threatened to put him on the dissection table after that.

"Yeah," Dib nodded at Zim when he saw the ex-invader's face show recognition. "So that time when I was sent there instead of the usual treatment; meds, therapy, recordings of a hippo dancing while singing about proper ways to act—don't ask, I'm still not one hundred percent sure that the hippo thing is real. I was on a shit ton of drugs when I was in there," Dib said when Zim made a face that just screamed 'humans are stupid'. "Instead of that, they just threw me into solitary confinement. Not even the orderlies came to me, it was all automated thanks to good ol' Dad. Robots brought me food, helped me stay clean and gave me new clothes.

"I never thought much about the people in my life until then," Dib said leaning back to look at the ceiling. "After a week of no human contact I began talking to the robots like they were people and that helped for a while, but then not even that was enough. After another two weeks I began to hallucinate for real. I began to see the cell as my room or the classroom and the robots as my family members or classmates. It made things more manageable for a while, but then I began to realize something.

"Real life, my daily life, and that cell weren't all that different. I was ignored by most everyone. No one really interacted with me and it took me so long to really notice that because real life and that cell had one key difference. You," Dib finally looked at Zim and saw him staring wide-eyed at him, listening intently for probably the first time since Dib had known him.

"You never ignored me. You met me head on. You _interacted_ with me. I wasn't alone because my mind was always focused on you, fighting you, outwitting you, plotting about ways to infiltrate your base," Dib quirked a smile at Zim's annoyed frown. Dib was good at getting into the base undetected, which was the reason Zim tested Dib so often in their truce. "Luckily, after another week I was let out. I promised myself that I would never go back there. I calmed down about trying to get rid of you. I realized that if I ever succeed then that cell would become my reality and I would spend the rest of my life in solitary confinement even outside of the Crazy House. I wouldn't let you take over the Earth, because I still viewed myself as it's defender, but I made a promise to myself that I would also protect the one thing that was saving me from a life of misery.

"So I stopped trying to expose you, to get you discovered by the government. I never told you, but a few times I even diverted the Swollen Eyeballs away from you. A few others noticed you, they were bound to with all the crazy stunts you pulled, and I gave them false information and redirected their suspicions." Dib laughed. "It was around then that I even went through this phase were I—," Dib immediately cut himself short and coughed to cover the horrified embarrassment. He had almost admitted to Zim about his 'phase' involving the invader.

Rationally Dib knew it had to do with hormones and the way his—at the time—fragile mentality coped with realizing that he had no place with his own people. If he was honest with himself he sometimes felt more alone around groups of humans than he did in actual solitary confinement. So it had been only natural that Dib felt _that_ way about Zim, Zim was the only one that interacted with him. It just took a while for Dib to push that aside and accept that he just wasn't going to have that type of relationship in his life ever. Once he accepted that, he had been able to push those feelings towards Zim aside too. No way was he going to jeopardize his last chance at sanity for a fleeting hormonal reaction.

"Anyway," Dib said clearing his throat. "What I'm trying to say is that, you aren't alone. I won't be able to replace your people, but I won't abandon you. I won't leave you alone. I have to be better than nothing, right?" Dib said meaning it to be joking but his heart was beating a million times a minute. He was sure his uncertain fear was peeking through. It might not be enough for Zim and if Zim did go and off himself, Dib had an inkling that he wouldn't be far behind.

Zim stared at the human. All this information was a bit overwhelming. Dib had so openly admitted his weaknesses. Well… Zim supposed he had just done the same thing. He thought about Dib's words and what they meant. "I..." Zim tried to wrap his mind around what the human was saying, what it meant. "I am your Hive?" It was absurd that the human, being surrounded by _his own people_ didn't feel the underlying current of a collective, a sense of being a part of something large and amazing.

As a smaller, just being near other Irkens allowed him to feel that he was surrounded by this large amazing race. In the core of himself Zim knew he was one of the most amazing Irkens out there, it was why he wanted to be a Taller so bad. Tallers were the most amazing, his Tallest the greatest of them all. Even thinking about them now he felt this need to see them and he also felt this new desire to touch and feel the touch of another Taller. But he also felt this strong need to be around others, to have attention, to be seen and heard, to be acknowledged and be told that his existence mattered.

Being banished, exiled and ex-communicated from the Irken race guaranteed that he would never have that. He would never see another Irken small or Tall. He would never feel the gaze of adornment, the sense of belonging, the affirming touch that he needed. He would never feel a part of something as amazing as he was.

Well... he wouldn't feel that from another Irken.

Zim waited for Dib's confirmation.

"My Hive?" Dib repeated the question, thinking it over. "Yeah, I suppose in Irken terms that's what it means for me. Human's need social contact, but we don't have one common goal, or even one common leader, so it might be a little different. But I would not be able to function without you, so in that sense it's the same." Dib nervously watched Zim's face for any sort of reaction. Zim was blank, anything going through Zim's mind was hidden from Dib.

A small spark of recognition ran through Zim. Dib needed him, Dib gave him attention. Dib knew that he was amazing. He still felt that longing for his people, he still wanted to be in the presence of another Irken, but if he focused on Dib's presence, the human felt a little like a smaller, but also a little like a Taller.

"I am your Hive," Zim said again. He was all the human needed. The human didn't need a vast connection of millions of others. He didn't need to feel the closeness of all the others or the need to admire and adore his leaders. He didn't need the acknowledgment from the other humans. He didn't need all of that, but he needed Zim.

Again Zim felt that thrill run through him. To the human, Zim was so amazing, so worthy that he didn't need a whole Hive, he just needed Zim. To the human Zim was as amazing—no _more_ amazing than an _entire_ Hive.

His spooch clenched and began pumping harder. Zim straightened, he felt taller, better. He wasn't just a Taller to the human and he was even greater than the Tallest themselves! He was a whole Hive! Not even the Tallest would be enough for one Irken, they needed more, they needed others as well, but not Dib. Dib only needed Zim, because he was that amazing.

 _Ah, there it is,_ Dib said to himself with a smile. He saw the moment Zim regained himself. There was the unmistakable arrogance and egocentric glimmer in Zim's eyes. Dib knew of no other being that was a narcissistic as Zim was, and it had been devastating to see Zim brought so low. Dib hadn't lied, he did need the alien. Every word he said was true, but a part of himself sighed deeply. Zim was going to be difficult to deal with for a while. After stroking Zim's ego, he was going to be twice as arrogant. But Dib would much rather have Zim be overly annoying than depressed or even worse, suicidal.

"I suppose I will let you worship me as your Hive," Zim said standing and brushing off his uniform. He stood straight and tall, grinning down at the human. "I am amazing enough to be everything you should need. Humans are stupid creatures, of course you would prefer Zim over them."

"Gee, thanks Zim," Dib said feinting apathy as he pushing himself off the ground. Looking around, Dib was still a bit concerned. He wanted to make sure the ego inflating stuck. He checked his phone for the time; they could still make it. "Hey, Computer, could you quickly make Zim a version of what I'm wearing?" Dib asked to the ceiling.

" **Ugh, of course. But you need to go to the lab and get scanned,** " the computer replied. Dib wasn't sure if he had been insulted that Dib doubted his abilities or than he just didn't want to make it.

"Why must Zim wear your inferior clothes?" Zim asked a spark of defensiveness and uncertainty in his voice.

"I'm calling off the bet. But I still promised to take you to that restaurant. Let's go and celebrate your new height instead. Just, please, _try_ to be patient and nice to the workers there okay?" Dib pleaded, though he knew it was a bit useless.

Zim narrowed his eyes at Dib. "You are calling it off because you are afraid of losing, yes? In that case Zim has already won."

"No," Dib said trying to remain patient. "I just thought it would be fair to call it off considering you probably hadn't had time to do any research on 'civil' social behavior."

"I don't need to do research," Zim said haughtily. "Your pitiful human brainmeats are easy to figure out. I can easily blend in with the humans. I don't need to do research to act like a normal stinky worm-baby."

"Well, um, no. You have never acted like a normal human," Dib pointed out, still trying to be polite himself. "But also you aren't going to be acting like a human worm _-baby,_ " Dib said making a slight dig at the fact that Zim recently found out he had been treated as a 'child' in their public outings. "You need to act like a human worm _-adult_ and adults don't randomly yell or insult people, at least no civil adults that go to fancy restaurants. If you make a scene at this restaurant it will definitely not be _normal,_ " Dib said placing emphasis on that last part.

Zim scowled at him. "The bet is still on, Dib-thing." For a moment his angry mask slipped and Dib saw the pain still lingering inside him. "I will win this at least. I am not so weak that I can't win a stupid bet against a human."

On any other day Dib would have argued the point, and maybe he should have acted like normal for Zim's sake, but friendship rules dictated that he be gentle to his mentally fragile friend. "We'll see," Dib said instead gesturing for Zim to follow him to the elevator.

"Out of the way, Dib," Zim said pushing past him. "This is still my base, I don't need you to show me where my own elevator is. Stupid, human." Zim mumbled the last with a pout.

Again Dib held his tongue. Zim was having a hard day, he could take the verbal abuse. He did so on a daily basis whenever he was around the volatile alien, but for today only he would try to restrain his return of the abuse. Zim had been through enough.

In the lab Dib first stepped into the scanner, so the computer could analyze his outfit, then Zim stepped in so the computer could adjust and match the measurements. From the side of the scanner there was a _ding_ and a drawer popped open. Reaching in Zim took out the garments and before Dib could say anything Zim began stripping.

Boots came off followed by gloves. A quick pull over his head and his invader uniform was on the floor leaving Dib to stare at the span of green skin. When Dib had first woken up he had felt that skin against his skin. However, it had been dark and he hadn't been able to get a good look before Zim left the bed and got dressed. At the time Dib hadn't been in the right frame of mind for it to register what the bare ex-invader looked like.

But now Dib had a full and well-lit view. Zim had let an endlessly curious Dib touch his ungloved hand once. Zim saw no point to Dib's eagerness but under the terms of their new alliance Dib could do no harm to him and Dib had bribed him with the promise of sweets. The green skin was so different from his own, it was smooth, no pours no hair and he couldn't see any veins under the skin, it was just smooth and green. Looking at Zim's bare back now, that hadn't changed except the skin looked more taut, stretched over thin but insanely strong muscles. His rib cage was the widest part of his body, his waist narrowing inhumanly down to narrow hips and long, long legs. Zim stepped out of his leggings and Dib couldn't help but blush as he noticed that Zim didn't really have much of a butt. There was muscle there, but he was all leg.

Once Zim began dressing into the suit and the green skin was covered once more, Dib was able to shake himself free of his trance and he went over math problems and formulas in his head to help his body calm down. By the time Zim was struggling with tying his tie, Dib had calmed down. He stepped up to fix his tie, but Zim slapped his hands away wanting to do it himself. With a sigh, Dib undid his own tie and stood next to Zim and slowly and carefully walked the alien through all the steps into correctly tying his tie.


	5. Blackmail

Zim caught on fairly quick and he soon had a perfectly tied tie. He stood proudly in his suit, wearing his most smug grin. Dib cracked a smile and shook his head. "C'mon, Space-boy, the real test is being able to sit through the dinner. When we get into my car, I'll let them know that we'll be a little late. It shouldn't be too much of a problem and if it is I can call my agent."

"Agent?" Zim asked having heard Dib say the word before but never really paying it much mind.

"You know that I write stories for children," Dib said and right on que Zim scoffed still finding the idea of reading things that purposefully weren't real as a foolish activity. Dib tried to explain to him once why people like fiction, but Zim just dismissed the idea as stupid human behavior. "She's the one that takes my work and makes it into books. She also is the one that forces me to go to all those signing events," Dib said disdainfully.

"Signing?" Zim repeated, walking along side Dib to his car. When the door opened Zim shivered against the cold and grumbled about how much he hated Earth. He continued to grumble until the heat kicked in and the inside of Dib's car became toasty warm.

"So, yeah, a signing," Dib began once Zim was warm. He knew Zim wouldn't listen until he was warm again. "I go and people line up to have me sign their books. It's a thing humans like to do, collect signatures of people's work that they like. My dad has signing events at least once a month and the line is always crazy long. But people collect signatures of authors, actors, singers anyone that has some sort of fame I guess."

Zim's antennae bumped against the same old black wig he always wore. "Wait! You lied to Zim!" he pointed an accusing finger at Dib. "You told me that you were hated by the humans, your own people. Wanting to collect things from a more important person is something a smaller would do to a Taller."

Dib held up a hand wanting to stall Zim's rant, but he still needed to pay attention to the icy roads as well. "Just listen, will you? Let me finish. If people _actually_ liked me don't you think I'd like going to those events?" Dib quickly glanced at Zim before bringing his eyes back to the road. Zim pressed his lips together, not willing to agree with Dib's statement but still very suspicious. Seeing that as permission to give his explanation, Dib continued. "I hate going to signing events, because people like my stories but when they come up to get a signature from _me_ the disappointment on their faces is clear. Most of the time they don't even believe I'm the real author, despite my picture being on the inside covers," Dib said still a bit upset about it.

"They take one look at me and when their fantasized idea of what I look like crashes with reality, well, their enthusiasm dies almost instantly. My agent can't understand it, I think she ignores it because every so often she still makes me do those stupid signings. And each time it's the same. The line to get my signature starts out long but as more people leave disappointed, more tend to walk away. Weirdly enough it doesn't affect my book sales. People just prefer to buy my book and don't even want to say as much as a 'hello' to the guy that wrote it." Dib gripped the steering wheel. Normally he wouldn't let it bother him, but saying what he thought all this time out loud was making it all the more real and that much more unfair. "I don't think people would want my signature from me in-person if I _paid_ them. Sales from my pre-signed books are great and I've made a deal with my agent that I'll sign more books for them to sell at a higher price as long as I don't have to be in person at as many signings.

"I don't care if they sell more copies at the signing events. I hate going to them. Every time, every _damn_ time, I get the same disappointed looks. I don't know why I repulse people so much. Even when I'm doing everything right, when I'm fitting into society it's still not good enough. They like the stories but for some _damn_ reason they hate me. I'm used to being ignored and forgotten. _Hell_ , that's even turned into a weird skill of mine for my side job of restaurant reviewing. No one recognizes me or cares to get closer than possible so it makes it easier for me to get an objective look at their service. But I _hate_ those damn signings. I hate seeing their faces when the eager joy they have for meeting their favorite author disappears the moment they see me. It's _goddamn_ depressing."

"Maybe it's because your head is so freakishly large," Zim said matter-of-factly.

Dib, having parked the car during the end of his rant, snapped his head around to glare at Zim. "My head is not big!" The angry and hurt retort left his mouth before he could help himself. He was pissed that Zim wasn't the least bit sympathetic and even worse he used it as a way to make another dig at him. However, when Dib saw the unaltered glee on Zim's face and the self-satisfying grin, it left him stunned. Did Zim like seeing him in pain that badly?

"It seems you are not a liar, after all," Zim said still grinning. He turned to look out the window. "This is the building, yes? It is 6:30 now. We need to go in," he said and exited the car. When Dib didn't move he bent down and frowned in irritation. "Let's move, Dib-thing."

Dib took a moment to rest his forehead against the wheel. He let out a long sigh that turned into a slight laugh. The anger left him just as quickly as it came. Leave it to Zim to find Dib's misery a positive thing. Dib did tell Zim that they were alike, hated by their own people. Dib said all he needed was Zim. Hearing that what Dib said was a lie, that Dib was liked by humans and revered like a Taller would be, had been very upsetting to Zim. However, once understanding that Dib was still harshly rejected comforted Zim. It meant Dib had been telling the truth and that all Dib really needed was the alien.

The ridiculousness of everything made Dib feel hollow, but strangely light. It wasn't a bad feeling. Dib climbed out of the car and seeing Zim waiting impatiently for him, Dib was overcome with overwhelming desire to kiss him. But since that was weird and wrong, Dib settled for a light punch to Zim's arm. That was a manly and friend-like thing to do, right?

"Thanks," Dib said with a small smile.

Zim smoothed out the sleeve of his coat and squinted one eye at Dib. "Why did you thank me?"

"I'm just grateful that you're you," Dib simply said.

"Well, who else would I be?" Zim said indignant.

"Let's go see if our reservation still stands," Dib said ignoring Zim's question. He walked in letting the ex-invader decide to follow or stand in the snowy cold. Dib knew which one he would pick as he walked up to the hostess and gave his name.

"Yes," the young woman with her hair pulled back and wearing a clean and neat black skirt and shirt said. She also wore a classic red and white Santa hat. "Dib, a reservation for two?" she asked pointedly as it was just him at her podium. As if in answer the door burst open.

"Dib-thing!" Zim said stomping in. "You dare leave Zim in the cold?" he said angrily brushing off the snow that had begun to gather on his shoulders. He shook his gloved hands in shocked disgust when the snow began to melt on them.

"I knew you'd follow me in," Dib said. "I wasn't leaving you. We still have a table?" Dib asked turning back to the hostess.

Dib caught her giving them a particular look. She seemed to be contemplating but before Dib could try and persuade her to give them a table she seemed to make a decision and tapped a few times on her computer before picking up two menus. "Yes, it's in a different section than your booking, but I believe you will find this table much more to your liking. It has a lovely view. Our restaurant sits on a hill so the far side looks over much of the city."

"Oh, that's great, thanks," Dib said smiling thankfully at the hostess. Dib turned back to make sure Zim was following as she led them to their table. It was a small two-person table. Dib immediately went into work mode to observe the setting. The table cloth was white, clean, and wrinkle-free. Their place settings consisted of fine silver wrapped in a deep red cloth napkin, holding the napkin in place was a strand of green ribbon curled into a neat bow with a piece of holly tied in with the knot. Their table setting was simple, but elegant. A white table runner stitched with delicate and sparkling gold snowflakes and hearts. In the center was a short crystal vase with a white flickering candle surrounded by gold holly leaves.

Their hostess took the crystal stemmed glasses, etched in the glass were snowflakes and hearts of similar design, and filled them with water from the matching pitcher on the table. "Your server will be with you shortly," she said courteously. "Enjoy your evening and Merry X-mas," she bowed her head slightly and left with a friendly smile.

"So," Dib turned to Zim who sat across from him. Zim eyed the table and the surroundings with mild distaste. "What's your impression so far?"

"This light is primitive and insufficient," Zim pointed to the candle. "And why are there weeds on the table?" he picked the holly off his napkin and dropped on the floor with a disgusted face. "I'm not touching this poison," he said gesturing to the water. "And if you try to throw it on me I will destroy you. And," Zim tapped the table runner. "This design is stupid."

Dib leaned over and picked up the holly off the floor. "This isn't a weed, it's a traditional X-mas decoration," he said and placed their two holly pieces on the table runner next to the candle. Taking his glass Dib sipped the water testing it. "This water you could probably drink," Dib said. "The water alone probably costs twenty bucks. It's that really expensive bottled stuff. They run it through some intense purifiers to get out all the pollution. I know the rain and city water burns you, but that stuff isn't really something anyone should touch." Dib swirled the water in his glass absentmindedly as he thought out loud.

"I always thought that the reason some of the Skool food looked...sentient was because of a mix of pollution, bacteria and who knows what else in the water that came in contact with whatever unknown substances they used to make our lunches. I contacted the Swollen Eyeballs about it once, asking for support in researching it, but no one wanted to sponsor it. I'm guessing that ignorance is bliss in this case, because we've all eaten the Skool food and finding out the horrible secrets about it could be more scarring than enlightening."

" _Humph_ ," Zim said straightening to make himself look taller. "That just goes to show how inferior and cowardly humans are. Irkens are afraid of nothing."

"So how come you never ate all your Skool food, if you are so brave and superior?" Dib asked leaning back and raising an eyebrow.

"Because, Dib-thing," Zim said leaning forward and giving Dib a pointed look. "Zim is not stupid. I only did what was required to pass as a filthy human, but I would not willingly put that inferior filth in my superior Irken body."

"Sounds to me like you are afraid," Dib said giving Zim a smug smile.

Zim leaned back, offended, and glared at Dib, "I am afraid of nothing."

"Prove it," Dib challenged. "If you're so brave take a drink of that water."

"Fine!" Zim snapped and snatched the glass, sloshing some of the liquid over the edge and onto the table. Zim's face contorted into a moment of distress until he realized that none of the liquid had spilled onto him. He seemed to realized his error and with a slight blue tint to his cheeks he glared back at Dib, who grinned back at him. Zim's eyes narrowed to slits. "Zim is not afraid of your stupid water," he said defensively then he eyed the liquid in his glass.

Despite what he claimed, Zim obviously was hesitant to bring the trauma-causing liquid anywhere near his face. He brought the glass close and cautiously sniffed, which was the single weirdest thing Dib had witnessed since Zim had no nose. He must have some sort of ole factory center, as the skin just below and between his eyes moved slightly. Maybe he had some sort of membrane protecting an internal scent detecting system. Dib unconsciously leaned forward, fascinated by the process.

Detecting no obvious signs of poison, Zim brought the glass to his lips. He was still cautious and didn't want to swallow the burning liquid should it all be a trick for Dib's amusement. To test it he opened his mouth and lightly probed the water with his long thin tongue. Very quickly he pulled it back in, expecting it to be burned but he felt nothing. He tried again and this time he let his tongue linger in the liquid, it was cold but he felt nothing else. So with great caution, he slowly tipped the glass to bring the water to his lips. Still he felt no horrible burning sensation. It took a moment longer to gather up the will to let the liquid inside his mouth. He took a very small sip and pulled the glass away, swishing the water around to see if there was a delayed effect before finally swallowing.

He stared at the glass and waited for the horrible effects to start, but nothing happened.

"So?" Dib prompted.

Zim smacked his lips, reviewing the experience. "It tastes like nothing. Why do humans like drinking it so much? Irken soda is so much better that they can't even be compared."

"It's not so much that we _like_ it, but rather that we need it. Human bodies are made mostly of water. We need to drink some everyday to stay healthy. Or at least we need to consume it in some way. We drink it because when we are thirsty it feels good and refreshing. Cold water is the best," Dib said taking another sip. "And it helps when there are no chemicals or pollutants in it."

"That is stupid," Zim said. "Why don't—,"

"Hi, there!" A friendly and upbeat voice greeted them, stopping Zim from finishing his thought. Dib turned to greet their waiter in return, but when he saw him a great feeling of dread filled him.

"Keef?!" Dib squeaked. The red-head was impossible to mistake as anyone else. He wore the neat and clean black pants, shirt and apron that all the other waitstaff had. He even had on a festive hat, but instead of red, his was vibrant and rainbow colored.

"Hey, Buddy," Keef said in his distinctly chipper tone. He giggled in delight and looked between the two of them. "I can't believe it! What are the odds? Both of my best childhood buddies are here together to celebrate X-mas. I'm so lucky. I'm so glad that I switched shifts to work tonight," he hugged his notepad, hopefully to prevent himself from hugging them. "I haven't see you guys since Hi-Skool! You know, I always knew you two had something special. Awe," he sighed happily and hugged his notepad tighter. "It just fills me with all kinds of great happy feelings to know that my two bestest buddies ended up together. I'm going to make sure this night is the bestest, most romantic X-mas!"

All color drained from Dib's face as his brain overcame the shock to process _what_ Keef was saying. "What? What! No! No. We're not—we aren't," Dib stumbled over his words in panic helplessly glancing between Zim and Keef. Luckily, Zim just looked slightly annoyed and a little confused. He squinted one eye at Keef and studied Dib. If Dib could just deny it without bringing it up, he could avoid the topic altogether. "We are friends. Just friends."

"Awe, Dib," Keef smiled at him in what he probably thought was a comforting way, but it just made Dib's panic rise. "You don't need to hide anything here, you're among friends!" He said gesturing around him.

Looking around at the other table Dib noticed something he hadn't before. All the tables in this section were tables of two. It was a more secluded part of the restaurant usually reserved for private events. Dib hadn't given it much thought earlier, thinking that they had opened it up for the X-mas reservations. So not only were they sitting in the couples only section, he also noticed that every single table was made of same-gender couples.

 _"_ B-But... I didn't... online it never..." Dib said helplessly looking around him the feeling of doom pressing further and further on him.

"Oh, Kathy is very discrete," Keef said with a wink. "She has a very good eye about this kind of thing. It's not something we advertise, but in certain circles everyone knows that if you want to have a peaceful and hassle-free date on X-mas the Skyloft is the place to go. So no need to be shy," Keef winked at Dib. "Hey! I've a great idea. In honor of our reunion, I'll give you two the V.I.P treatment. I'll start you two off with a bottle of our prized Red; _Amour_ _Amour._ Then I'll order for you the couple's special we have tonight. It's fantastic! I'm sure you'll love it," Keef said absolutely ecstatic and he took their menus and skipped, literally _skipped_ away before Dib could correct his horrible misunderstanding.

Dib stared after Keef and he could _feel_ Zim watching him. Almost too horrified to look Dib slowly turned around to face Zim. Relief filled him, when Zim still had a quizzical look on his face. _Thank Einstein,_ Zim didn't understand. Dib could not handle the scene Zim would make should he figure out what Keef was implying.

Dib forced a nervous laugh. "Oh man, Keef, am I right? I never thought I'd see him here. I thought for sure he was going to hug us again, right? Ha ha ha," Dib said and mentally kicking himself for the most mechanical and fake laugh he had ever heard.

Zim narrowed both eyes at Dib and Dib knew he was sweating. "I did not understand everything the horrible Keef-creature said," Zim said slowly studying Dib as he spoke. Dib tried to keep his face blank but he had a feeling the blind panic he felt was seeping through.

"Yeah, well, can anyone understand that guy?" Dib said trying to sound casual and he laughed nervously again. "He's always been weird."

Zim made an amused sound. "This is coming from the one they used to call the class weirdo," Zim said finding that funny and he began laughing.

Dib laughed along probably louder than necessary, if the odd looks from a few of the other tables was any indication.

"Here we are!" Keef said making Dib jump as his voice seemed to pop up behind Dib from thin air. He held up two wine glasses and a bottle of red wine with a label that had an obnoxious amount of pinks hearts on it. Keef set down the glasses and opened the bottle with the ease of any professional waiter. Despite everything, Dib was impressed that Keef was so efficient and quick at uncorking the bottle. He poured the wine into the two glasses and set the bottle on the table. "This bottle is on the house, Merry X-mas to my favorite couple," Keef said with a wink then skipped off to check in on the other tables.

Dib took the glass and downed the wine in one go. He needed something to take the edge off his nerves before he had a panic attack. With only a slight wobble he refilled his glass, a little higher than the usual level wine was poured. Zim took his glass and treated this liquid with the same caution he did the water. Taking back his tongue he rolled the unique taste around his mouth. Finding a strangely familiar taste to it he took a sip.

After careful study of the various flavors Zim realized what it was. "This is alcoholic," he said looking down at the deep red color. He looked up to see Dib pouring himself another glass. With a frown he reached out and snatched the bottle out of the human's hands. The inferior human's system was already being affected as Dib's face was flushed and pink and his eyes didn't look as sharp or focused.

Early on in their alliance, Dib had once brought over a bottle of what he called liquor. He said he took it from his house and later Zim did some research on the substance and was impressed to see that Dib had been breaking his Earth laws by sharing the liquid with him as at the time Dib had only been eighteen in Earth years and not yet old enough to buy or consume the liquid. It was uncharacteristic of Dib to engage in such unlawful activities that the instance stuck out in Zim's memory.

It had been a weird experience all around and after that night Zim refused to have the liquid brought into his base. Much like the water, Dib had challenged Zim into trying the repulsive substance. Dib didn't seem to enjoy it either, but they both drank a large amount. Zim learned quickly that even his Irken body was affected by the strange properties of what Dib called alcohol. It dulled his senses, if only slightly, and made him sluggish and slow. He feared at first that it had all been a plan by Dib to capture him, but the human had also been affected.

However, in Dib's case he babbled nonsensical things before making the most pathetic attempt at attacking that Zim had ever seen. The human fell onto him, pinning him with his (at the time) larger body and greater weight, and promptly passed out leaving Zim trapped under the human. The effects of the liquid made it difficult for Zim to move as well and it took great effort for him to shove the human off. The weirdest thing was that Dib had tried to bite his face before he passed out.

Since he had no desire for the human to fall asleep or try to bite him again, Zim took the bottle. He did research on the substance and found that time and food could lessen the initial effects the liquid had. Hopefully the food would come soon.

"Hey!" Dib protested as the bottle was taken from him. With the alcohol in his system he didn't feel so panicked about the whole situation. Zim didn't understand and if Dib could act natural and normal then Zim wouldn't ask any probing questions. _Heh, probing_. Dib thought and chuckled though he was sure his face turned a little brighter.

"Zim does not want to get bitten," he hissed at the human setting the bottle back down.

"Bitten?" Dib repeated, even only slightly tipsy he couldn't think of what Zim was talking about.

"Yes, the last time you drank this horrid liquid you bit my face then your stupid body tried to crush Zim when you went unconscious," Zim reminded the human. "Why would you even want to consume this?" he eyed the bottle.

"I tried to bite you?" Dib asked again, unable to conjure up the memory.

"Yes, you tackled me and then bit me right here," Zim pointed to his cheek. "It wasn't even a good bite," he said disapprovingly. "You barely used your teeth and didn't even break skin. If _I_ ever tried to bite your face, you would be missing half of it," Zim said straightening, to him this just proved again how superior he and his race was.

Dib stared blankly at Zim, his slightly tipsy brain struggling to comprehend what the hell Zim was talking about. Then a little light bulb went off and Dib blanched. He vaguely remembered what Zim was talking about. However, all this time he thought that it had been a part of one of _those_ dreams. He remembered that Zim had done or said something that in his drunken state he had found too cute and he leaned over to give Zim a little love-bite. He must have passed out after that.

Looking at the bottle of wine, Dib was filled with two overwhelming and conflicting impulses. On one hand he wanted to snatch back the bottle and down the rest of it to forget and possibly escape the horribly embarrassed feeling that was crawling inside him. On the other hand he wanted to swear off all forms of alcohol right then and there to make sure nothing like that ever happened again.

He settled for a mix of the two and downed the rest of the wine that was in his glass then pushed it away. "Yeah, sorry about that," Dib said. "This stuff makes humans do some stupid things sometimes."

"Then why are you drinking it?" Zim wanted to know.

"Because sometimes it also makes the part of your brain that cares about stuff turn off, sometimes you even forget about the stupid stuff you do," Dib explained staring down at the table.

"That's stupid," Zim said eyeing the bottle. "You are already human, Dib-thing, you shouldn't drink anymore of this it will just make you even more stupid."

"Yeah," Dib agreed still trying to gain control of his emotions. He just wanted to get through this dinner alive, if things got any worse he was sure he'd die of embarrassment.

Zim was a little surprised at the human's instant agreement. He had expected Dib to argue more. Not sure how to react to a complacent Dib Zim just said, "Good." Dib kept staring at the table and Zim studied it a moment as well, but found nothing so interesting that would hold his attention as it was Dib's. Zim chalked it up to the stupid liquid still working through his system and took the opportunity to observe his surroundings and see what Dib and other humans viewed as 'civil' behavior.

Mostly he saw the other humans at their tables eating their disgusting human food and quietly talking. So far he was blending in perfectly and Zim smiled smugly. Dib made it sound like it was going to be a challenge for Zim to blend in with his new body. He didn't want to admit it, but he couldn't blame Dib for not telling him that he was looked on by the other humans as a smeet. Humans had a strange and backwards society that placed no entitlement on its Taller humans. The only thing height indicated was age and Zim was much older than any human. There was no difference he could see between the interactions of the 'adult' humans and the other times he had been with Dib.

Humans usually sat and talked to each other, he didn't see why this setting was so different. That was until he spotted one table. The two humans had their hands on the table and were grabbing each other's hand. Zim wrinkled his face in disgust as he recognized that unique gesture as a way for humans to show affection and _lurve_. His brief exploration in that human habit had been horrible. It was made even worse by the fact that Tak had tricked him into thinking she was a human and it made the whole experiment pointless. Irkens didn't even have anything similar to human affection so— _wait_. That wasn't entirely true.

Tallers did display forms of bodily contact. His upgrade informed him of the ways that Taller Irkens would interact with each other. Tallers did have a need to be needed, they needed attention from the smallers a craving he still felt himself, but it did lessen around Dib. But there were other ways Tallers interacted with each other that was very similar to how other species interacted.

More knowledge came to Zim as he thought about it. The way the upgrade to his PAK worked was that information was input into his PAK and to Zim it was like that information had been with him all this time, but unless consciously thought about, the new information stayed stored within his PAK memory. So when he first woke up and felt that yearning to be around another Taller, to feel their presence and feel their touch, he had only thought about it in the ways he had seen other Tallers interact in front of smallers; a hand on the shoulder, sitting close so legs bumped, walking side by side letting shoulders brush, a quick pat on the back. They were all small but affirming and needed touches, ones that humans also seemed to do with each other.

Zim had the unfortunate knowledge of how human reproduced; he couldn't escape that information while in Hi-Skool and as a smaller that information had been disgusting and slightly traumatizing. He hadn't thought about it until now, but now the knowledge was there in his brain that behind closed doors and away from the eyes of smallers, Tallers also engaged in such activities.

It wasn't for reproduction reasons like it was for most species. Irkens no longer reproduced in that manner, there was a program in every Taller's PAK that also prevented such actions from creating unwanted smeets. Organically producing smeets was a hassle and it would disturb a Taller's duties. However, Tallers still engaged in the acts because it was the ultimate form of touch, of affirming one's existence and presence. According to his knowledge it was a pleasurable experience that only Tallers were deserving of. He now knew that some Tallers would enjoy it so much with one particular partner that they tended to form bonds and bonded Tallers enhanced the Hive's influence. So it was encouraged for Tallers to engage in these forms of touch with multiple partners until a bond was made.

Looking back on his own memories from when he was a smaller Zim could now recognize that the Tallers he saw most often together were probably bonded and that those pairs did often engage in social touch more often and rarely traveled anywhere without the other right besides them. With a start Zim realized that the Tallest were most likely a bonded pair.

Being excommunicated he would never be able to experience that form of touch, much less find a partner to bond with. Bitter resentment at his leaders and the humans so easily displaying their bonds bubbled up inside him. He sneered at the pair of humans he recognized as bonded and turned his eyes to focus on a different set...then another...and another.

Horror turned into angry betrayal as Zim realized that he was surrounded by bonded pairs of humans. Turning back to Dib, Zim fully intended to lash out at the human for his obvious betrayal. The human knew that Zim would never have a partner and the horrible human wanted to taunt Zim because of it. However, he caught himself before lashing out; Dib looked miserable. Belatedly Zim remembered that Dib was also outcast from his own people, he would never find someone to bond with either.

"Why would you choose to come here?" Zim asked, not understanding why Dib would want the painful reminder of what he could never have surrounding him. Zim certainly hated it.

"My agent tells me where to go. I review it so others know to come here or not," Dib answered blandly. His new strategy was to withdraw as far into himself as he could. If he could get through with dinner without incident then he would allow himself to get very very drunk _at home_ and hopefully forget this whole thing.

"This place is a cesspool of bonded human filth," Zim said sneering at a human that happened to look up in his direction. The male looked startled before quickly looking away.

"Bonded?" Dib repeated having never heard of Zim refer to humans like that before, his curiosity stirring him out of his bleak thoughts.

"Yes, Dib-stupid," Zim said irritated. He didn't like it when Dib was more stupid than normal, it was annoying. He was glad the human stopping drinking that horrible liquid. "All the humans around us are bonded pairs. This makes you miserable, yes? You are also an outcast and will never bond with a partner, being surrounded by them is horrible."

"You mean you know that everyone here is a couple?" Dib asked slowly, his eyes widening.

Zim slammed his hand down on the table in frustration. " _Irk it!_ Dib-stupid, yes! You are the one that drank this stupefying liquid not Zim. Zim's eyes are not made from potatoes."

Before Dib could give his startled response, Keef popped back up at their table with two plates and set one down in front of each of them. Dib looked down at the crapes covered in chocolate and strawberries with the drizzle in the shape of a heart on top. "I talked with the chef and he made this special for you guys. I remembered that my bestest buddy had a meat allergy and my other bestest buddy's favorite flavor is strawberry, so here you go." Keef grinned at them. "I can't have my favorite couple eating things they don't like."

Dib wasn't sure if he should be flattered that Keef remembered something like that or if he should be really creeped out.

Zim was also eyeing Keef suspiciously. "You think..." Zim said slowly. "That the Dib and I are a bonded pair?"

Keef giggled. "Silly, you don't have to hide it here. I can't say I'm surprised that you two ended up together. You were always with each other and you look good together." He leaned down and whispered. "If you two want to continue your evening in a more _intimate_ setting I know of a few good places nearby," he winked at them. "Enjoy your meal!" he said chipper and bounced over to another table to check on them.

Zim stared after the energetic human. It was no surprise that his human disguise was spot on and Keef didn't know he wasn't human. However, because of his perfect disguise he didn't think about how the other humans would view him and Dib. Certainly, if they were on Irk and Dib was Irken their constant proximity would be a signal to other Tallers that they were bonded. Apparently, the same applied to the humans.

Making an amused noise, Zim turned his attention to his plate. The smell wasn't horrible and he did like chocolate and while strawberry wasn't a favorite of his, it was one of the few flavors that his body could tolerate. Zim poked at the food with his fork, crapes were apparently an inferior form of pancakes, which were a lesser form of waffles. Zim liked waffles, unless Gir made them.

Taking a bite, he found that the crapes weren't as horrible as he expected them to be. They weren't waffles, but they weren't bad either. Eating sweet things always lightened his mood and he found it amusing that the Keef human thought he and Dib were a bonded pair.

Zim paused mid-chew as he thought of just that. In his mind, instead of a nondescript Irken, he imagined Dib doing all the things bonded pairs did. He'd seen all the human's skin, he'd even unintentionally did something with the human that bonded pairs often did, go into rest mode together with maximum skin contact. So the image of the human stretched out beneath him while he engaged in the pleasures of bonding was one that came easily to him. And to Zim's great surprise, the thought wasn't entirely horrible. No, even better it was _enticing._ His PAK whirred and electric current-like sensations ran through his nerves. His new knowledge of Taller bodies informing him that this was the first stage in forming a bond, or at the very least a high interest in indulging in more pleasurable acts of touch.

To Dib, he was all Dib needed. He was Dib's Hive. Could… Could the same be for Zim?

Zim looked up from his food to study the human and he frowned. Dib was staring at him wide-eyed and shocked, his face was flushed redder as well. "What?" Zim asked a bit defensive, it was obvious that the reason for his shock was Zim.

"You, ah, aren't freaking out about being mistaken as a couple," Dib pointed out, his face both red and pale at the same time.

"This just proves how amazing my disguise is," Zim said grinning smugly at Dib, then he switched his glance down at his food as he spoke. "Apparently human and Irken social interactions aren't entirely unalike," Zim said still bitter about having this new information and what the upgrade meant for him.

"Oh?" Dib meant for it to sound politely interested but instead he just squeaked out the word.

"Mh," Zim made an agreeing noise and he went back to eating. Eating always made him feel better. "Tallers need to have interactions with each other, we crave touch," Zim said around a mouthful of sticky sweetness. "In front of smallers, Tallers will just be near each other or touch an arm or shoulder when talking. However, when alone Tallers engage in more intense forms of touch that you humans need to do to reproduce. However, our PAKs take care to prevent any smeets from growing, that's what the smeeteries are for."

"But you don't have any genitals," Dib blurted out before he could help himself. He felt horribly embarrassed after the words left his mouth and in hushed tones added, "It's not like I was looking or anything, but before you went into your machine you were kind of just flaunting yourself and it was sort of, um, obvious and hard not to notice."

Zim chewed thoughtfully. It took him a moment longer to translate the terms Dib was using into ones he had acquired through the upgrade combined with his limited but scarring information about the human reproductive process. However, he eventually was able to understand what it was that Dib meant. "Ah!" he said finally getting it. "Well, Irkens aren't so stupid as to have them out in the open and exposed to possible harm," Zim said as Dib's fully naked form popped up in his mind.

Immediately he felt that current of energy through his body again. The image of the human was similar to what he now knew a Taller's body looked like when it was ready to preform bonding acts. The actual parts varied in appearance, but it was close enough to spark his instincts. He was Dib's Hive, and the human felt a little like a smaller, but he also felt a little like a fellow Taller to Zim.

And why not Dib?

The human was Tall. He wasn't hideous. His casual touch wasn't repulsive. Dib might be an entirely different species, but he was as close to an Irken as anything Zim was likely to encounter. And apparently for his new and desperate Taller body, that was good enough. More than good enough. Intriguing. Enticing. Bond worthy even. But want about the Dib? Was he close enough to human for the human to want to engage in those activities with him? Did Dib even feel such sensations? He was tall enough in Irken standards, but for all Zim knew Dib might have the knowledge but not the human equilivent of the upgrade to engage in such activities.

An unbidden fear welled up inside Zim. How awful would it be to find the only _possible_ partner he would ever have, yet still not be able to satisfy those cravings because he wasn't human enough for Dib to respond to him. Or worse yet, by some weird human standard Dib was the equivalent of a smaller and would ever even feel such cravings at all much less towards Zim?

"What about you, Dib-thing?" Zim began cautiously probing the human for answers. He was a Hive to the human, Zim wasn't about to jeopardize that by appearing weak and desperate should Dib not find him a possible partner. "Why are you not 'freaking' about being mistaken for a bonded pair?"

"It doesn't really bother me. I was more worried about how you would react," Dib said laughing nervously and needing something to do, he poked at his meal.

"Why doesn't it bother you? Because you are not capable of performing such acts?" Zim asked.

"What? No!" Dib said flushing and feeling very much like his man-hood had just been questioned. He might be an outcast, but that didn't mean he wasn't a man. "I'm fully capable," he said in a harsh whisper. "It doesn't bother me, because no one gives a shit about me anyway. But if you started to avoid me too…" Dib trailed off losing his anger. He turned back to his plate and began eating. "Just drop it, okay? As long as we don't fight dinner will go smoothly and then we can leave without being kicked out."

"It doesn't bother you because I am your Hive and as long as I stay your Hive you are fine," Zim said slowly as an idea came to him. "You are desperate then, for me to interact with you. You would do anything for me to stay your Hive," he said it slowly, not a question but still he wanted Dib to confirm his musings.

Dib put down his silverware and rested his head in his hands. " _God damnit_ , I knew I shouldn't have said anything," he mumbled. Zim was going to blackmail him. He could feel himself being pulled apart from the inside, he knew his next words would tear apart everything and that he was signing his own death sentence. "I won't help you take over the Earth, or hurt anyone," Dib said and he meant it. He wasn't going to take part in anything that would actively make someone else suffer. Zim was going to test him. He'd tell him to make a choice and Dib would have to pick the Earth. Then Zim would either kill him or cut him out of his life and there wasn't much difference in outcome between those two options.

"You heard the message from the Tallest," Zim scowled thinking about it. "I have no reason to take over the Earth. It is a stupid filthy planet, I don't want it either."

"Oh." Dib blinked. "Then what do yo—wait! I am _not_ going to become your slave," Dib said trying to sound as firm as he could. He prayed to every paranormal creature and deity that Zim wouldn't test him on this, because deep down Dib was afraid that he might do just that.

Zim thought about it, that idea hadn't occurred to him. It would be nice having Dib as a slave, and he knew Dib would be a good slave, but in the end that wasn't what he really wanted. If Dib was a slave he would feel more like a smaller and that wasn't what Zim needed.

"No, Dib-thing. I will not make you a slave. Though if you ever wish to surrender I will gladly accept. No, what I want is something different," Zim said and he sat up as straight as he could making himself look tall and imposing and important. "As a Taller I am allowed certain privileges. If I wasn't banished I would go back to Irk or the Massive to receive those privileges from other Tallers. If you would like me to stay your Hive, I require that you give such privileges to Zim."

"What kind of privileges?" Dib asked wearily.

Zim glanced around and seeing another bonded pair do this, Zim copied the movement. Under the table he stretched his leg out and hooked his foot around Dib's calf. Slowly, he rubbed his boot along the back of Dib's calf. Dib immediately went rigid and his face turned from its normal pallor to bright red. He stared straight into Zim's eyes, like a small animal caught by a hunter. Zim grinned back at him, he didn't sense any resistance from Dib. "The privilege of touch," Zim said and he pulled his leg back to his side of the table. "And not just that. You are tall enough and close to Irken in anatomy to be a bonding partner. If you agree to these terms, I will continue to be your Hive and I will even be gracious and treat you like any Taller would their bonding partner," Zim said putting all his confidence in his voice. He was Zim. He was amazing. Of course the Dib would agree.

"Uhh," Dib said too shocked by Zim's actions and words to reply with an intelligent response. The moment Zim began playing footsie with him his brain shut off.

"Dib," Zim said annoyed that Dib hadn't responded yet. He was getting a little worried, which wasn't right. Dib should be honored by this. Zim was amazing. There was no way Dib would refuse. "Yes or no, Dib-thing? Choose!" Zim snapped fearful irritation creating a snarl to his voice.

"Yes," Dib jumped at the snarl and the word popped out of his mouth before he could do anything about it.

"Good, yes. Good," Zim said and eased back in his chair. Relief filled him. He glanced back at Dib who still sat there unmoving and looking like prey. "Eat your pathetic pancakes, Dib-thing. Humans need foodenings to have energy. We will preform the intimate touching tonight, you will need energy," Zim said and went back to eating his own food with a very satisfied look on his face.

"Uh, 'kay," Dib felt his body move as he fed himself, but his brain was still in a state of panicked shock. Did Zim just ask him what Dib thought Zim was asking him? And did he just agree to it? What if what he thought Zim was talking about wasn't really what Zim was talking about?

What if it was? What was he going to do then? How could he un-repress years of repression? How was he supposed to respond to the _alien_ that he had a crush on years ago suddenly telling him that he was going to blackmail him with sex?

Was it even sex Zim wanted? He said bonding and implied that Irkens did the same as humans but this was Zim. Zim rarely got anything right when it came to humans. For all Dib knew Zim could be talking about playing shuffleboard instead of having sex.

But what if he did want sex? How was Dib going have sex with him? Zim didn't have any visible parts. However, he'd seen Dib completely naked so he had to know what would and wouldn't work. _Ohmigod. Zim has seen me naked. He saw my erection._ That sent his brain spiraling into further panic. What was he going to do? What and how? How? _How? HOW?!_


	6. A Fight for Dominance

As Dib silently freaked out, internally panicking, the dinner passed by him in a blur. He was too wrapped up in his panic attack to pay much attention. Keef came and took their plates, he even chatted with Zim for a bit when it was apparent Dib wasn't much for conversation at the moment. In the back of his mind Dib was numbly aware of the two talking. His brain was too trained to not take in details. However all his processing was busy thinking himself down into a panicked rabbit hole. So while he saw Zim talk with Keef and Keef clap delightedly and then lean down to whisper to the Irken, Dib didn't really notice it. And while he saw Zim nod and take out an Irken tablet from his PAK and write, he didn't really notice it. He saw Keef giggle, blush and point to the tablet, but Dib didn't register it.

Keef left and came back again with their desserts. Dib ate the chocolate mousse but didn't taste it. All he could see was the way Zim's tongue licked the sweetness off his fork. Later the check came and Dib paid and had no idea what the cost was. He absentmindedly waved to Keef as he waved back. He saw that Keef said something to him with a giggle but Dib didn't hear it. Digging out his keys he was somehow able to drive his car without crashing. He parked in the spot slightly far from Zim's house, it was where he parked when he was going to spend more than a few hours there.

He walked with Zim back to the house, hearing Zim complain about the snow and cold, but not really listening to it. Inside Zim gave Gir the tacos that they had picked up on the way home. He saw Zim giving Gir careful instructions, but didn't hear what they were.

It wasn't until he was shoved back and fell onto a soft comfy floor that his brain caught up with the situation.

"Zim, wha-?" Dib looked around taking everything in. He was back in Zim's lab, the dark purples, pinks and blacks of metal were unmistakable, but he was in a room that he had never seen before. It was a smallish room, no bigger than his apartment bedroom, but the entire floor was soft, like a bed. "Has this always been here?" Dib asked with a slight scowl. If it was he was a little pissed that Zim had never let him sleep here. The futon that the computer made in his closet-like crash pad was comfy, but not this comfy. If Zim had a bedroom he never slept in why the hell didn't he let Dib use it?

"Impressive, yes?" Zim said standing over him, looking over the space with approval. "I had the computer make it on our way back."

Well, at least that answered that question.

"Now," Zim began turning his attention back down to Dib. "Are you going to remove your clothing, or would you prefer I cut it off you?"

"What? No! Don't you dare, this suit was expensive!" Dib said bringing his arms out in front of him protectively. He scooted back out of Zim's grasp and a bit ungracefully got to his feet.

Zim watched him, his fists planted at his hips. "Well?" he said expectantly when Dib did nothing more than stand and take a few more steps back.

"What?"

Clicking his tongue in annoyance, Zim crossed his arms. "You did not fight back, so that means you are choosing to be the submissive male. So you remove your clothing first."

" _What?!_ " Dib blanched and stumbled back a few more steps. "You—what—I… _huh_?" Dib stumbled over his words.

Zim uncrossed his arms and frowned in slight concern, "Dib-thing, are your brain meats broken?"

"Maybe!" Dib said defensivly, still flustered and confused and more than a little worried. "Weren't we just at the restaurant?"

"Yes," Zim said slowly like he was talking to a creature of significantly lower intelligence. "We finished eating—"

"—okay, I remember that," Dib nodded desperately wanting to understand.

"You paid the disgustingly happy Keef-worm."

"Yep, yep."

"We stopped to get tacos for Gir so he would be distracted and stay up at the house level."

"Okay, yes, I remember getting tacos. And Parking the car."

"Yes," Zim praised. "Then you followed me down to the new room the computer built."

"New room," Dib affirmed looking around at his surroundings.

"Then I told you we would proceed using the Irken standard for when two Tallers paired together for the first time."

"I—ah—missed that one," Dib admitted still trying to come to grips with what was going on and if Zim really meant what Dib thought he meant. "What's the standard procedure again?"

"We would fight for the right of dominance."

"And dominance meaning…?" Dib said needing Zim to spell it out because he still had no idea if Zim had any idea about what he was talking about.

Zim sighed and then scowled at Dib. "I am retracting my offer for battle. I refuse to even give you the opportunity to fight. I will not allow myself to be dominated by someone so stupid. I will be the one to penetrate you."

"Pene— _sex_?! You're talking about full-on sex right? Like both of us naked and…" Dib made a loose fist and slid one finger in and out of it.

Zim watched the crude gesture then studied Dib's face. He could almost see the anxiety rolling off the human, his eyes were wide and his body tense. "Yes, sex, mating whatever you humans call it. Though Zim intends to bond with you as well."

"Bond? What does that mean?" Dib asked quickly.

"Bonding? It means…" Zim frowned as he tried to come up with the human equivalent but he couldn't so he settled for explaining what it meant in Irken terms. "When two Tallers bond, it strengthens the Hive. The two bonded Irkens will form a pair and stay together for every duty. They will only preform mating acts—sex—," Zim explained for Dib's benefit, "with each other, and only rarely do they even accept the casual touch of other Tallers. They will stay bonded with each other until one of them dies."

" _Marriage_?!" Dib blurted. "You want to _marry_ me?" he squeaked.

Zim scowled at Dib. "No, Dib-worm. Bonding has nothing to do with dresses and flowers, or rings and the making of two-point-five smeets then living in a house with a white fence." Zim's scowl deepened. "And I would kill any deliver of milk that intends to try and sex with you."

"That's not—what have you been watching?" Dib shook his head. Zim's idea of 'marriage' sounded like a soap opera, which was probably what it was considering the shows Gir watched. But the gist of what Zim said was sort of like marriage, or at least becoming an exclusive couple. "I… this is a lot to take in." Dib said feeling sort of light headed. "I need to sit and think a moment," he wobbled then sat down on the floor.

"I don't understand how you can be fine with all this," Dib said feeling a rush of emotions. As usual when he was stressed or overwhelmed Dib began to babble. "Earlier in the day you had no idea you were even capable of having sex and now you want to be in an exclusive relationship _with me_. And you are completely fine with it. I mean we're both male and we're not even the same species."

"Our anatomy is similar enough," Zim said. "And why does it matter that we are males?"

"Ah, well, it doesn't really matter to me, but to a lot of human same-sex couples aren't always accepted, but it's just human hang ups, I guess," Dib answered staring down at the floor as his mind swirled around and around with the fact that Zim wanted him.

"Do…do you not wish to sex with males?" Zim asked feeling a little unsure now. He didn't even know that it mattered to humans. Though, thinking about it, since they were an organically reproducing species a bond between any combination but male and female wouldn't result in offspring. But even then, there were already too many smelly humans on the planet so it shouldn't be that big of an issue.

"Not really," Dib said running his hand through his hair in a self-soothing manner. "But then I've never really found any girls attractive either. The only one I ever desired is yo—" Dib cut himself short and jerked his head up to see if Zim had caught on. He froze, he'd been hiding it for so long, repressing it, yet this had been his second time almost admitting it. What the hell was wrong with him?

Zim blinked once, noticing the sudden change in Dib's behavior. Enough of the word had slipped out of the human's mouth for Zim to recognize it. A wide and pleased grin formed on Zim's face. Dib had that 'prey' look again and it was wildly enticing to Zim.

"Me?" Zim asked and stepped towards the frozen-in-fear human. "You are surrounded by humans, yet you only want to touch, to sex, to bond with me?" An amazing thought occurred to Zim and he bent down to put his face closer to Dib. Dib in turn leaned back and fell over. Zim followed until Dib was lying flat against the ground, his eyes wide and panicked and unmoving from Zim's face. Pink appeared all over the human's pale face and this close Zim could pick up on the subtle emotional scents. He'd taken his wig and contacts off the moment they were in the house, so he let his antennae fall forward and one lightly brushed against Dib's forehead.

The touch gave him greater knowledge of Dib's emotional state. The scents he picked up were excitement, anxiety, embarrassment and what Zim's new knowledge told him was the scent of arousal; the combination was the perfect mix for a submissive role. However, the anxiety scent was still too strong, he needed more excitement and arousal from Dib before his own body would respond for their mating.

"Tell me Dib," Zim said using his body to cage Dib in, he wanted the human intimidated enough so he could get answers, then he would work on changing Dib's scents. "Did you just start wanting to sex with me after I became a Taller or…?" He grinned when the anxiety increased. "Did you want to sex with me when I was a smaller too?"

Dib spoke incoherently for a moment. "I did not!" he finally managed and he tried to move back away from him, but Zim didn't want that. Using his new body's strength he grabbed Dib's shoulder and pinned him in place.

"You lie," Zim hissed, pleased. From Dib's scent and behavior he could tell what Dib said wasn't true. "Since when?" Zim asked and he couldn't hold himself back anymore. Smallers were never touched by Tallers. One reason was that smallers did not have the upgrades to partake in the touching privileges, the other reason was that smallers were repulsive to Tallers. But Dib… Dib wanted him even when he was small. It made Zim feel amazing. The most amazing. He never wanted touch as much as he did then. He wanted the skin-to-skin sensation to confirm the acceptance and acknowledgement he felt from Dib.

He lightly ran his glowed claws along the side of Dib's face, but it wasn't enough. However, he did notice that while Dib flinched at the touch he didn't turn away from it. Skin-to-skin. Zim needed that, but if he let go of Dib's shoulder to take off his gloves he risked the chance of the human moving away before answering him. So instead he leaned in closer and nuzzled his face against Dib's cheek.

 _Oh! The warmth._ Dib's skin radiated heat, delicious sweet-scented heat. "Since when?" Zim repeated near Dib's ear, wanting the human to know that he wasn't escaping without an answer. Feeling a strange impulse and seeing no reason to deny it, Zim slipped his tongue out to taste Dib's warm skin. He ran his tongue along Dib's neck, feeling the human's strong pulse in his neck.

" _Hi_ - _Skool_ ," Dib yelped out as he felt the warm wet sensation along his neck. His fear was leaving him as his brain began reminding him of all his old fantasies. However, it seemed everything he imagined as a hormonal teenager was now happening in reverse. He'd once imagined a similar situation, except their positions had been reversed and Zim was strapped to a table, his small body shivering and heating at Dib's sensual touch. Dib was thankful that his fantasies weren't fully becoming reality and he was only pinned and not strapped down.

However, his body was betraying him as the unbidden mental image of just that came up and it wasn't entirely unappealing as he felt himself twitch in places he was trying to ignore.

"Hi-Skool is four years long," Zim said sliding his leg to brush against Dib's as he kept his knee between Dib's legs for balance. "When in Hi-Skool?"

This was getting dangerous so Dib pushed back against Zim and tried to change the mood, "Right after the Crazy House, right after I realized that I was most alone among my own people."

Zim eased back and looked down at Dib with surprise. "That was almost ten Earth-years ago. You have denied yourself touch since then?" Zim said half-way between impressed and horrified. He had just become a Taller today and already he could feel such strong impulses to touch the one he wished to bond with. Even if he didn't want to bond and just mate with Dib, the impulse would still be strong. He couldn't imagine ignoring it for nearly an Irken year.

"I tried to convince myself that it was a phase," Dib admitted, feeling relieved that Zim wasn't so close to him. He was still sitting on his thigh, but it was better there than anywhere else. "After a while I was able to ignore those desires," he said and having the evidence presented before him, he couldn't deny that it wasn't just a phase. He still felt strongly towards Zim both in friendship and desire.

"How? Why?" Zim asked intently. His expression was so serious that Dib decided to answer honestly.

"How?" Dib repeated. "Well, a lot of cold showers. And after a fair share of guilt-ridden nights I was able to repress those feelings most of the time. And as for why," Dib gave a bitter laugh and propped himself on his elbows, quirking one eyebrow at Zim. "Can you image how you would have acted had you found out before today? I wasn't about to jeopardize the only thing keeping me sane on the off chance that you wouldn't find me completely repulsive."

"Hmm," Zim said thoughtfully as he sat back on his heels, but still on top of Dib. "As a smaller I had no knowledge of the need for a Hive or for the strong compulsion for touch. I would have thought you a weak and disgusting human."

"Yeah, I know, thanks," Dib said dryly as he wiggled free from under Zim. He turned to roll to his feet when a PAK leg pushed against his back pinning him back to the floor.

"However," Zim said and Dib turned his head to see the alien's cocky grin, "Since I am a Taller now, I have a different opinion." He moved his PAK leg and took a step back allowing Dib to get to his feet. "Your restraint is admirable and shows strength. I will resend my earlier declaration."

"Uh, thanks?" Dib said wearily.

Zim nodded. "Yes, you should be honored. I will even let you take the first punch."

"Wait, what? Why do I have to punch you? And why is there an implied that I will get punched too?" Dib said backing up.

Placing his fists on his hips in annoyance, "Because," Zim huffed. "I am allowing you to fight for dominance. The first to yield loses," he said and shifted his stance into a defensive one.

"Wait, wait, wait!" Dib waved his hands out in front of him, slightly panicked. "We haven't fought in years. I don't want to fight you. What's the point in hurting each other? Also I was in an explosion earlier today, in case you forgot, I'm not exactly in the best condition to defend myself," Dib said. While Zim's healing salve and bandages had taken away the pain there was still a soreness in his body, like the ache from working out. He felt stiff and sore.

Zim frowned. "Human bodies _are_ rather squishy. You wouldn't do well in an Irken battle for dominance. It would be pointless to win only to have to heal you again. Fine then, Dib-thing, how do you suggest we battle?"

"We should…uh…we…" Dib desperately looked around trying to get an idea. He really just wanted to escape so he could mull this all over and figure out how to navigate this with Zim. He doubted Zim would agree to the suggestion that they just take things slow. Apparently Irkens had no concepts of dating, they battled, mated and that was that, very much like in the animal kingdom. Dib had been running from this for so long it was nearly impossible to just accept it. _That was it! Running!_

"Why don't we play a game of chase? If I escape I win, if you catch me you win," Dib suggested. He was always really good at sneaking into Zim's base and he knew his way around pretty easily. During their fights in Hi-Skool he was able to survive because he was very good at escaping Zim.

"That's it?" Zim said surprised, then he grinned. "Dib-thing, if you wanted Zim to be dominate all you had to do was say so. However, Zim will allow you your pride and I will partake in your 'battle'," he said clearly thinking that this wouldn't be much of a challenge.

"Ha! You wish, Space-boy," Dib said feeling a little excited at the nostalgia of the situation (well, minus the whole running to protect his ass thing…wait did Zim even know _how_ two human males had sex?).

Distracted by his own thoughts he almost didn't hear Zim shout, "Computer, restraints!"

Coils came down from the ceiling and Dib narrowly dodged out of the way. Panels opened along the wall and Dib rolled along the soft bed-like surface, avoiding the tasers. He rolled to his feet and turned, ready to face the coils and figure out how to get past them to the exit. It occurred to him a moment too late that they were taking longer than he remembered for them to strike out at him.

Two strong hands gripped his arms and pulled him back flush to the body behind him, and two PAK legs crossed in front of his chest, pinning him in place. "You ran right into my arms, Dib," Zim said next to his ear. Instantly, Dib realized his grave error. In the past, Dib only had to worry about escaping from Zim's house while trying not to get killed by Zim. Zim never tried to capture Dib himself because of the height advantage Dib had. Such disadvantages didn't apply now. Both Zim and the Computer were fully capable of catching him. He now understood Zim's arrogance in the beginning.

"Um, can I ask for a do-over?" Dib said hopefully, as he tested Zim's grip. _Damn,_ he forgot how strong Zim was, even more so how that the invader had the height leverage too.

"No," Zim said and Dib could hear the grin in his voice. He began walking backwards and Dib had no choice but to stumble back as well.

"Zim, do you even know how two human males have sex?" Dib asked in a last-ditch effort to deter Zim. "Our bodies might be too different, or you might find it gross. You should really think this through."

"Do _you_ find it gross?" Zim stopped.

He could feel Zim tense and the concern there was real, which made Dib quickly answer before he could think about what he was saying. "No! Well, if done properly it isn't. There is some preparation that needs to happen first, otherwise it can be really unpleasant and I'd rather not go through that again. So why don't we sit and talk abo- _woah_!" Dib yelped as he was suddenly spun around in Zim's grip so he was eye-to-eye with the alien.

"Did you _lie_ to Zim?" he asked in a dangerously low voice, his eyes glaring. "You said you were alone, like Zim. How could you be alone among the humans if you already had a mating partner?"

"I never had a partner!" Dib said defensively, though he wasn't sure why he was so insistent on making sure Zim knew he'd never had a relationship before. To anyone else he'd be trying to argue the opposite.

"You said _again_ , _again_ implies that you have mated, that you have sexed with another human before," Zim tightened his grip on Dib's arms to the point that it was painful.

"It was just once, okay?" Dib snapped back. "I was confused about what I was feeling. So I met with someone I found online. We tried having sex. It was awful. I never tried it again. The good thing was that I became much happier jerking-off to my own fantasies and eventually I could repress even those and became able to be just your friend." Dib shoved against Zim and finally he let go.

Zim got this odd look on his face, like he was reading something Dib couldn't see. After a moment Dib realized he was getting information from his PAK.

"So because your experience with another Taller was so bad you satisfied your cravings for touch by just touching yourself?" Zim said nodding to himself. It wasn't so much a question as Zim reworking what Dib said in his own terms so he could understand. "That is pathetic."

"Oh yeah? Well, fuck you," Dib spat. "Who are you to say anything? You just found out today that your entire species _could_ have sex. So don't you dare judge me." Unable to face the overwhelming hurt he felt at Zim's comment, Dib turned and walked away. He wanted to storm away, to stomp or something but instead the stupid bed-like floor made him spring-hop over to the door. _Stupid fucking bed. Stupid fucking Tallest and their stupid fucking message. Fuck that restaurant. Fuck Keef and fuck this whole goddamn day._ At the door Dib paused and glared back at Zim, who genuinely looked confused which just pissed Dib off more. If Zim wanted to verbally stab him, the least he could do was be aware of it.

"Merry fucking Christmas, Zim," Dib said putting as much malice in his voice as humanly possible. But he doubted Zim would be impressed, he'd probably say he could have done it better, that Dib was inadequate yet again. Here he was just another fuck up, fucking up the only positive thing he had in his whole fucking life. But then what did he expect? How stupid was he to open up to Zim of all people? How could he expect an alien to understand the torture he put himself through just to protect his tiny oasis of happiness? The answer was he couldn't. Dib was stupid to expect anything different.

* * *

 **Ah, the two need to work on communication. Mostly Zim needs to, his thoughts on what is pathetic is very different from what Dib is getting from the** **conversation.**


	7. Confessions and Confusion

Zim stared dumbfounded after his human. One moment Dib was complacent, then evasive, then excited, then submissive and now his human was walking away angry. _This_ was why PAKs filtered emotions, they were too unstable and confusing. And where the _Irk_ was Dib going?

"Dib-thing!" Zim called but Dib didn't come back. How dare the human walk away? He was not leaving— _Oh!_ Zim grinned as he chased after Dib. How sneaky of the human to cause confusion so he could escape. Their battle for dominance was still in effect. Dib was almost at the elevator when he caught up to the human. "I won't let you escape so easily, Dib," Zim said and grabbed his arm.

As soon and his long fingers wrapped around Dib's arm, he pivoted. Zim hadn't been expecting it, so he took Dib's punch right in the face. The force of it staggered him and his grip loosened enough for the human to pull his arm back. Zim braced himself against a nearby machine as he waited for the pain to subside. Zim grinned.

That was a good punch. The human had been hiding his strength. Seems like they could settle this the Irken way after all. Bracing himself, Zim looked up, ready to dodge the next attack and make one of his own, but the human was gone.

"Computer, locate the Dib."

" ** _He's on his way to the house level._ **"

 _What the Irk?_ What was the human doing up there? Was he really trying to leave? Zim scowled, he was tired of this. The human was being too confusing wanting sex then not then wanting it, now wanting it again. What was that punch for if not to engage in a dominance battle? He was sure as _blork_ going to find out.

"Computer! Lock down the house. Do not let the human escape," Zim instructed as he used his other elevator, the one that led into the living room.

Dib jerked on the doorknob, but it wouldn't budge. He slammed his fist against the door, "Computer, open this right now!" Dib demanded. His fist still stung from the punch he'd given Zim. It felt so good to punch him right in the face, but he also felt terrible about it too. It was his adolescent dreams come true, Zim was willing to be physical with him. Of course it was wildly different from what he imagined, but still he should be happy. It wasn't that he was gay, Zim was just the only living being that wanted him around. And it just so happened that Dib was compatible. It wasn't like he was Zim's first choice for a partner… or second…or third…or fourth…and well, let's face it Zim wouldn't want to touch him with a ten foot pole if there were other Irkens around.

But for Dib there was only Zim. Trillions of people on the planet and not one wanted to be around him longer than necessary. Dib didn't think he was horrible looking, _hell_ , he _knew_ he wasn't ugly. He'd seen ugly. He wasn't ugly, but still there was something about him that people just didn't like. What he didn't tell Zim about his only experience with sex—because how could he?—was that after a few minutes of light foreplay that Dib thought was going pretty well for being so embarrassed and overwhelmed by it all, the young man stopped and pulled back.

Dib had been a little flushed and slightly aroused, but the other was still blank faced and uninterested. "So yeah," he said. "If you want to continue you're going to have to pay me for this, 'kay?"

Dib agreed because he promised himself he would do this and get it out of his system, to see if this was what he really wanted with Zim. The young man then did the bare minimum to get himself hard, barely touching Dib and not caring if Dib was aroused fully or not. They had sex. It was horrible and painful and humiliating. It was nothing like he'd read about or researched. The young man took a fifty from him and just told him to not contact him again. That pretty much killed any desire Dib had to try that again with anyone. Did didn't know what he should have expected. After all no one, _no one_ , ever wanted _him_.

However, his traitorous brain still gave him dreams and fantasies about Zim. Thankfully that experience just made it so he never felt the impulse to act on them. He repeated over and over to himself that it was all a phase, until it became true and he was able to move on with his life and he was able to be around Zim normally again.

But now it was Zim's fault. Zim was ruining everything! Years of avoiding it. Years of self-torture just so he could keep the delicate balance between them. Years of trying to forget that horrible experience. If Zim hadn't gotten taller none of this would have happened. Dib could have spent the rest of his life contently fixing machines and adjusting experiments with Zim, bantering with him, taking him out and watching his reactions to the mundane human experiences. He would have been fine with that. He had to be.

But now Zim was _aware_. He wanted to change things. He wanted sex and by some miracle he found Dib tolerable enough to be with him. Or maybe it was just desperation. Dib knew he was an alien and he'd revealed to Zim the reason he would never betray him to the government. Dib was literally the _only_ being Zim could relieve himself with. They only had each other, yet it wasn't the same not by a long shot. If Zim was among his people, he'd have options. He'd feel something, a sense of belonging just by being around them. Dib could go anywhere in the universe and he'd still only have Zim.

Zim said he wanted to bond with him, a weird Irken form of a for-life mating thing. _Bah!_ Zim didn't want that with _Dib_ he just wanted it in general and Dib was just his only option. What would it do to Dib when the memory of the young man became his memories with Zim? How would he be able to handle seeing the same dissatisfied, disinterested and almost repulsed expression on Zim's face?

Dib clutched at his chest as the pain of the thought became physical. The answer was he wouldn't. It would kill him. So he only had one choice. Dib would have to do it himself. He wouldn't actually kill himself. No, he wouldn't do that to Zim. He promised Zim he wouldn't leave him alone on Earth. Despite everything, or maybe because of everything, he cared about the alien. He cared, maybe even loved him, Dib didn't know for sure. He'd never experienced anything like this and certainly no one ever displayed affection for him to recognize the emotion. If he did love Zim, having sex with him (no matter how hard Dib tried to repress it) would mean something to Dib. He'd care. And seeing Zim make the same face that young man did would destroy him.

He needed to kill the feelings he had, for good this time. Because Dib knew he'd eventually breakdown and agree. He'd give in to his own body's desires eventually and also this was Zim. Once he got an idea in his head he rarely let go of it. He'd get his way eventually.

"Dib-thing!"

Dib tensed. Just his voice. Just his voice was all it took to send him spiraling.

"Unlock the house, Zim," Dib said as calm and evenly as he could. He kept his hand on the door and didn't look behind him. He couldn't look at Zim, not now. "I need to go home. I'll…" Dib took a deep shuddering breath but he was able to calm himself. "I'll come back tomorrow or the day after, a few days at most." He'd need a few days for preparations.

He'd go home tonight and drink and drink and drink until he blacked out. Hopefully some of this would be dulled by that. Then he'd go into the Swollen Eyeball archives and do some research. Maybe there was some way he could get rid of his soul or something. He'd find some way to kill the feelings inside him. If that didn't work he'd contact his father and tell him he was willing to try the lobotomy that he suggested a few years back.

If his dad did it, Dib knew he'd retain enough of his intelligence to still be of use to Zim. Afterall, his Dad had had one when he was a young man to help him rid of all the unnecessary distractions so he could focus on SCIENCE! When Dib found that out he was surprised that his Dad hadn't tried to forcefully give Dib one, but he supposed that just showed that his Dad didn't care much either way. He didn't need Dib, he had SCIENCE!

"If I let you leave, you will return in a few days and then you will sex with me?" Zim asked and Dib could hear the suspicion in his voice.

"Yes," Dib said. "Anything you want."

"You will be the submissive one? No fighting?" Zim asked and Dib could tell he was coming closer.

"Yeah," Dib gave a hollow and bitter laugh. "And I'll probably be the perfect slave too, if that's what you want."

Zim paused at that. Something was off. The Dib was acting strange. He slowly moved closer. "Why in a few days? Why not now?"

"I just need some time, Zim. I promise I'll be back," Dib's voice sounded strained and the closer Zim got the more alarming Dib's scent became. There wasn't even a hint of a mating scent around Dib now. " _Please_."

Now _that_ was definitely a cause for concern. Dib was begging him, really begging him. Not like usual when Zim was refusing to do one last safety check that Dib wanted, but a real and desperate plea, a doomed and fruitless plea for mercy. Highly concerned, Zim grabbed Dib's shoulder and turned Dib to face him. Zim grabbed the human pulled him close. Without explanation Zim swept his antennae across Dib's forehead and reeled back at the intensity of the emotions and the horribleness he felt from them.

It was like nothing—no. It was _exactly_ like he had felt after receiving his upgrade; bitterness, anger, betrayal, hopelessness and the sense of a deep craving that he knew would never be fulfilled. However, he had been wrong. It was being fulfilled, by Dib. The human showed him that he could fill that gap with something—someone else. He didn't want his future bonding mate to have to feel those emotions. And why was the human feeling them? What was going on? Did the human reach a breaking point in his lack of touch? If so why was he continuously evading Zim instead of throwing himself on the Irken?

He needed to help the human. Make him better. "Dib! Stop feeling the things you are feeling!"

"I'm fucking trying!" Dib shouted, shoving Zim back with that surprising strength again. "But I'm just a pathetic human. I can't just stop feeling, at least not on my own," Dib mumbled under his breath as he turned back to the door. "Computer," Dib said in a low voice. "If you don't open the door, I'll tell Gir your mainframe is made of Poop-candy bars.

There was a distinct _click_ of the door opening and while Zim made an aghast sound, he couldn't really blame the computer for going against his order. Gir inside his base's mainframe was a serious threat. The rush of cold air brought Zim out of his horrified thoughts as he realized that Dib really was trying to leave. Before he could go outside Zim kicked the door closed.

"I am your Hive! Why are you trying to leave?" Zim demanded to know.

"That's just it, isn't it?" Dib said kicking Zim's foot out of the way. However, he didn't immediately open the door. Instead he turned to Zim making sure to keep his face neutral as possible, though Dib knew his next words were only going to be driving the knife further into himself. "Tell me, Zim, if the Tallest called you right now and said that your banishment was up and everything was fine, would you return to Irk?"

"What kind of dookie question is that? Of course I would," Zim crossed his arms not seeing the point in the question.

"Of course you would," Dib said turning back to the door. He gripped the handle so hard his knuckles were turning white. "It's not like there is anything on Earth that holds any value to you."

"Well," Zim thought about it. "Your Earth chocolate isn't bad, not the Poop-candy bars but the ice cream and other sweet human snacks."

"Right. Can't forget the snacks," Dib said bitterly.

Zim scowled at the human. Enough of this. "What are you so angry about, Dib? You of all humans know that this planet is full of dookie. Snacks are the only salvageable thing on this rotting pile of dirt and filth," Zim said driving the verbal knife in deeper and deeper. "What more would you possibly want to bring with you to Irk? Your technology is pitiful compared to Irken technology, anything you have now could be easily replaced. Anyway this conversation is stupid. Zim is still banished and there is no chance that we would survive a trip to Irk. My equipment is rigged to explode the second it leaves this solar system."

"We?" Dib repeated and he turned back towards Zim.

"Yes, _we_ , stupid Dib-thing. You belong to Zim. If I went back to Irk you would come too."

Dib stared at him for a brief moment before averting his eyes and turning towards the door again. "Right, as your human slave. How stupid of me to forget."

"Why do you want to be Zim's slave so badly?" Zim asked as Dib had mentioned that twice already. "I thought you wanted to be allies and hated the idea of being a slave, though you would make a good one. Also were you not listening? You will be bonded with me."

Dib sighed and turned back to Zim crossing his arms. "Let's be honest here, Zim. You hate humans. If you weren't banished you would return to Irk in a hot minute. Then you'd be back with your Hive and you could have your pick of Irkens to bond with. The only reason you want to bond with me is because I'm your only choice."

"Aren't you the same?" Zim asked not understanding why Dib seemed so angry about this. "You said that you only want me. I am your Hive. There is no other option for you either."

"It's not the fucking same!" Dib shouted and slammed his fist against the door. All his repressed and bottled up emotions were threatening to spill over. Now that he'd opened up that can of worms he was having a hard time sealing it back up. It was stupid. He should just be happy that Zim was willing to even be in the same room with him, spend time with him, much less offer physical intimacy. He should just be grateful and take what he could get, but no his stupid emotions were getting in the way. He wanted more. He wanted it to _mean_ something. For once in his goddamn life he wanted to feel wanted. But that was an impossible wish.

"If you had the choice between me and any other Irken, we both know what you'd pick," Dib said clenching his fists. "But for me, there is no other choice. For some stupid reason, I'd pick you every time. My own people don't want me. I don't know what you did to piss off your leaders, but at least you'd still have your stupid Hive if you went back. There is nothing like that for me. So don't you dare tell me that we're the same. You think you've suffered?" Dib glared at Zim. "You think being cut off from your people is bad? How about never having a people in the first place?" Dib ran his hand through his hair and clenched his fist pulling at his scalp, the pain helping ground him.

He sighed heavily. "I'm sorry. Forget I said anything. Just…just give me a few days. I'll be back to normal then." It wasn't right to take his anger out on Zim. It wasn't Zim's fault. "After that I'll be whatever you need." Zim was suffering in his own way. It wasn't Zim's responsibility to take care of Dib. Dib's feelings were his own problem. He'd take care of them himself. No reason to burden Zim with them, not that he'd understand anyway.

"If the humans wanted you, would you still choose me to be your Hive?" Zim asked his voice neutral.

Dib opened the door. The harsh cold made him flinch. No reason to lie. Just this one time he'd say it. Today he'd admit it. And tomorrow he'd contact his dad. He wouldn't mess around with the supernatural course. Science was the best solution here. Cold, hard, science that's what Dib needed. He needed to completely erase this feeling. He wanted to be what Zim needed. Zim needed a follower, he didn't need a needy burden. And Dib was tired. He'd spent years burying his feelings, secretly lugging them around. He'd gotten so good at it that he'd even hidden them from himself, but now he couldn't go back to that.

If he didn't stop this now, eventually his need for Zim to be what he wanted would become too much for the alien to handle. He didn't want to leave Zim alone. Zim needed him, just not in the way Dib needed Zim. And in order for Dib to fulfill Zim's needs he'd have to get rid of his own because…

"Of course," Dib said facing the cold, but knowing that Zim could hear him. He looked over his shoulder at the shocked alien and smiled sadly. "I love you, Zim. If I'm not back in a few days, come and fetch me at my apartment. I'm sure I'll be complacent to whatever you want then."

Dib stepped out and closed the door behind him. His suit wasn't that warm and he forgot his coat inside, but he wasn't going to go back and get it. The cold didn't really matter right now and his car wasn't that far. The drive home was weirdly calming. A moment ago he was filled with rage and bitterness, but now he felt calm, almost numb and just a little relieved. Soon it would all be over. He didn't know why he hadn't agreed to his Dad's suggestion before. Without his emotions, he'd be the perfect tool for Zim. He wouldn't have to feel anything anymore. It would all be easier.

Back at his apartment Dib changed out of his suit and sat on his bed. In his hands he held his cell phone. He probably wouldn't be able to write anymore or as well. He dialed his agent knowing he'd get her voicemail. It was X-mas after all.

"Hey, it's me, Dib. Um, I just wanted to let you know that I'm not going to be able to write anymore. Some medical things have come up and I have to go in for brain surgery. I'll be fine, but I don't think I'll be able to write anymore of the Miz series. I'll probably be able to write reviews though. Just, ah, wanted you to know. Um, Merry X-mas," Dib said and hung up.

With a deep breath he called his Dad's research facility. As he expected he wasn't able to contact his father. It took some convincing but his Dad's secretary eventually put him through to his dad's voicemail. "Hey Dad, it's me Dib, your son. I was thinking and remember when you suggested getting a lobotomy? To fix my insanity and stuff? Well, I've been thinking about it and I've decided to go through with it. I'm free whenever, so yeah, call me back and let me know when I can come in. Thanks. Bye." Dib hung up and stared at the phone in his hand.

When his vision began to blur, Dib wiped his eyes. He made his way into the kitchen and dug around in his cupboards until he found the bottle of whisky his agent had given him for X-mas. He eyed the glasses but after a moment decided to forgo it and instead took a swig right from the bottle. It burned. He hated whisky.

* * *

"Computer," Zim said sitting down in the labs. "Pull up all the information on lobotomys and put it on screen three." Him watched Dib stumble back into his bedroom. He'd installed hidden cameras in the human's apartment a long time ago but since their alliance had rarely activated them. Dib's actions and words were confusing and Zim didn't like being confused. After a moment he added, "And look up human 'love' and put it on screen five." He knew about human affections and the horrible meat traditions, but something told him that Dib was talking about something else. Humans had annoying habits of having multiple and completely different meanings for the same word.

He watched Dib drink that horrible liquid until the human passed out on his bed. Then he read the information the computer had found. Zim read. And be became furious.

"What? WHAT? _WHAT?!_ " Zim screeched as he found out what _his_ human was planning on doing. Dib was _his_. All of Dib. Even his brainmeats. He wasn't about to let some inferior human tamper with it.

This made no sense. According to what the computer found on human 'love' this went against everything that that meant. This brain scrambling would destroy those feelings, in fact it might take away all of Dib's emotions. While Zim could understand why humans would want to curb their unpredictable feelings, Irkens had filters installed for such reasons, they were going about it all wrong. Their PAKs filtered and dampened when needed, but it was at the will of the wearer. What Dib was planning on doing was just barbaric and stupid.

What was Dib thinking? He said he loved Zim, which—according to his research—was comparable to what bonded Tallers felt, a deep devotion and mutual pleasantness in each other's presence. What pleased one pleased the other and they would be devoted to each other above all others. If Dib claimed to want this as well, why was he trying to destroy his brainmeats? It made no sense. The human made no sense. There was no possible reason Zim could see that would explain Dib's actions.

The only conclusion Zim could come to that made sense was that the human had truly become insane. Dib had suddenly defected in some way and his inferior brainmeats thought that this would fix things. Zim's offer for bonding must have been so overwhelming for the human that it fried his poor brain. Dib did say that he had been broken before. He had the functioning of a Taller yet he had no true Hive and no Taller to share touch. Zim just became a Taller, the shock must have been too much for the Dib. The pitiful human must have become touch-starved and it caused him to go crazy.

Well, as the Dib's Hive and his future bonding partner it was Zim's job to fix Dib, not some inferior human and their inferior brain scrambling tools.

Turning off his screens, he went up to the attic and climbed into his Voot. He had a human to fetch.


	8. Victory for Dib

He was warm. A sense of comfort and contentment settled over his senses. Since he knew that it was rare that this occurred Dib pulled himself from his deep lumber so he could partake in this dream. It seemed his brain was showing him some small kindness and giving him a good dream before it all went away.

As he became more aware of the dream he recognized a familiar beginning, the sense of another body against his. Bare skin-to-skin contact, he felt arms wrapped around his chest and his own bare back pressed against the being behind him. Long legs pressed themselves against his hips and wrapped over his thighs. He was in a half-embrace, half-grapple and he had no doubt who the other was in his dream. He only ever dreamed of one other. Funny, though, how in this dream Zim was much larger than normal. In his last dream like this Zim…

Dib suddenly became very awake. In his last dream like this, he discovered that it hadn't been a dream at all. It appeared to be the same case this time as well. Instead of freaking out, however, Dib remained perfectly still and tried to wrap his brain around how he ended up in Zim's hammock-like bed with Zim again. He thought and thought but nothing came to mind. The last thing he remembered was falling into his own bed, very drunk. Right now he felt very, very sober.

What? How? _Why_?

The two arms around him moved and Dib froze as they shifted to grab either side of his head. They tilted his head back until Dib was looking up at two large distinctly alien eyes. There was a dim light source somewhere in the room which made it possible for Dib to see Zim as the Irken stared down at him. He didn't look happy.

"Um—"

"—Shut up, Dib," Zim cut him off.

Dib pressed his lips tightly together until they formed a thin line. There was obviously a _very_ large gap in his memory because the last time he saw Zim Dib was yelling at him and then he confessed his love and ran away.

Dib paled and blushed at the memory. What was going on? How did he get here? Why was he here…and naked…with Zim…in Zim's bed? Dib broke eye contact and looked away, it didn't matter. Zim was probably doing some weird thing of his, all Dib had to do was keep it together until his Dad got back to him. After the surgery everything could go back to normal. His dad had perfected the surgery himself, it would remove everything from his mind but his one goal. His dad's goal had been _SCIENCE_! Dib's goal was Zim. Without his emotions he could be whatever Zim needed. Zim wouldn't be repulsed by him and even if he was Dib wouldn't mind and he'd still be able to stay with Zim.

Dib closed his eyes tightly. He just had to wait out a few days. _Push it down_ , Dib chanted to himself. All he had to do was push away his own feelings for just a few more days. He could deal with whatever crazy thing Zim wanted until then.

"What do you—"

"—Look at me," Zim demanded harshly, tightening his grip on Dib's head, his bare claws were very sharp adding extra incentive for Dib to obey quickly. His eyes flew open and looked back at the irate Irken above him. "You are mine," Zim hissed. "Even your inferior brainmeats. I will not allow some _other_ human to mess with them."

Fear spiked in Dib's gut. How the hell did Zim find out? How did he explain this? "Look, Zim, I'm doing this because—"

"—I know why you are doing it," Zim snapped, but his anger lessened as he spoke to Dib. "I have thought about it and I figured it out. A Hive needs both smallers and Tallers to function properly. Smallers only really need Tallers to function properly. However, Tallers need both smallers and other Tallers. As a smaller Invader, all I needed was occasional contact from my Tallest to feel a part of the Hive. I needed their attention and approval. My banishment made this difficult for me, I no longer had the Hive, but I still received attention from a Taller, you," Zim said staring down hard at Dib. Dib blinked unsure how to react to that. "So I was able to function. When I became a Taller and received the upgrade, the knowledge that I would have a great need for another Taller Irken was…concerning," Zim said putting it lightly.

"However, you offered yourself as a Hive. Since you are not Irken you cannot be a full Taller or smaller, but you feel like both and since you are capable of bonding, it will be enough. You, Dib-thing," Zim tightened his grip to focus Dib's attention and letting him know that this was the important part. "Became the equivalent of a fully functioning Taller of your species years ago. For your Hive you had no access to Tallers or smallers. So for you Zim became your smaller. You needed a Taller but since there were none available for you, you adapted…poorly," Zim added.

"Then I became a Taller and your inferior brainmeats were overwhelmed by my sudden change. Faced with a worthy Taller, and a potential bonding partner, your adaptations failed and you couldn't handle your need for touch. I did some research. Among Irkens there have been cases of Tallers that have been cut off from other Tallers for too long and they became touch-starved and went defective. If caught early enough the effects can be reversed, but if not they become unable to handle the touch of another Taller and while craving it, it destroys them."

"Since you are not Irken, I do not think this will happen to you, however it is clear that you have this touch-starved sickness. As your Hive it is my duty to rehabilitate you. And if brain alterations are necessary to fix you, _I_ will do them, not some stinky human."

"So what? You plan on _hugging_ me better?" Dib scoffed. "It's not so simple. You don't understand. Humans—"

"—It is so simple," Zim cut him off.

"Damnit, Zim," Dib glared and shifted around in the tight blankets to pull his hands out and pry Zim's hands off his face. "Will you stop interrupting me?"

Zim tightened his grip and wrapped his legs tightly around Dib's middle. "No, because you are saying dookie. I looked up this human 'love'," he said and Dib stilled, frozen in horrified embarrassment. He braced himself for the backlash, the shame and hatred. "Humans are annoying and stupid and your language is dumb. Zim remembers the horrible horribleness of Valentine's Day and the _meats_ ," Zim said dipping his voice down low and hissing in disgust.

"However, you threw no meat at Zim, so I looked it up and for humans that are the equivalent of Tallers this 'love' has a different meaning. Two humans who experience this 'love' will form a union and engage in physical closeness with only each other, they will also defend and live alongside their partner. Irken bonding is very similar, however we do not need the two-point-five children and white picket fence. Bonded pairs are assigned on missions together and rarely leave the presence of the other, they also only rely on each other for intense touch. Their bond also strengthens the feeling of the Hive. Unlike humans however," Zim said with slight disgust. "Irkens can only bond with one partner. After a mutual bond is formed, they do not seek other Tallers for intensive touch or sex. Only unbonded Tallers have multiple partners that they seek intense touch from.

"You desire this from me, yes? You want to form a bond with me," Zim said staring down at a stunned Dib. "I have chosen you to bond with as well."

"But…" Dib stared up at Zim, hope wanted to crawl its way back in but Dib beat it back down. "You find me pathetic and repulsive. I c-can't," Dib looked away when his voice cracked.

"That is the result of your touch-starved sickness. Look at me," Zim said and he lightly slapped Dib's face until he looked back him. "Your brain is sending you intense signals and because I am so amazing those signals are overwhelming your puny brain, creating a negative reaction."

"What? No," Dib scowled back up at Zim. "When I told you about that _one time_ , you called me pathetic. How could I possibly _bond_ ," Dib placed emphasis on the word, mocking it. "With someone that looked at me like that? I'll answer for you, it's not going to happen," Dib slapped Zim's hands away from his face. "Human _bonding_ is about mutual respect and affection. Both partners have to like each other and want the other to be happy. You only want to bond with me because I'm the only one you _can_ bond with. I doubt you'd pick me if there were other Irkens available. But for me, out of all others in this universe I'd only want you, and it's killing me," Dib pulled himself out of Zim's grasp and managed to untangle himself without shifting the slightly swaying bed too much.

He glared back at Zim. Zim thought he understood. He didn't and he was trying to stop Dib from his one chance at finally getting rid of all this pain. Zim thought he understood? Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh, how wrong he was. "Do I want to bond with you? Yes! Hell yes! I have no idea why but I like everything about you. You're intelligent, bat-shit-crazy sometimes and arrogant and conceited, but whenever I'm with you you don't ignore me. You don't look at me with contempt or disinterest. I never have more fun then when I'm working on some crazy project with you. You don't shut me out and sometimes you even listen to me and take my advice. It might just be me being crazy, but sometimes I even get the feeling that you _enjoy_ spending time with me too.

"I like hearing your insane laugh. Your confidence, while often misplaced, draws me in and sometimes it makes me feel confident too. I like taking you out and seeing how you react to the mundane human experiences. You may call me stupid, but you listen to me, well not always, but when I'm talking I can tell that you aren't just tolerating me until I leave. You don't always agree with what I'm saying, hell we argue more often than not, but you think about what I say and take the time to respond back with thought.

"It will kill me. It will literally kill me, Zim, when you start looking at me with contempt and repulsion. I'm not what you want. You want an Irken to bond with, but since you don't have one you can settle for me. That might be fine for a while, but eventually you'll come to resent me. To hate me. And you'll look at me just like everyone else does. I know this. I know all this, yet I still want to fucking bond with you!" Dib shouted. "And I can't…" he sagged back down, hanging his head so he didn't have to look at Zim's blank face. "I can't live like that. I want you to feel for me what I feel for you. I know it's selfish, that I shouldn't be greedy because it's a miracle that you are willing to be with me at all, but I'm human. I'll want more. I'll want you to want me, not because I'm convenient, but because you want _me_." Dib stared down at the blankets around his lap and tightened his hands into fists.

"I'm not touch-starved. I'm affection-starved," Dib said hollowly. "And if you want me to fulfill your need for touch, I will, but in order for me to do that I need to kill my feelings for you first. For me, touch without affection is worse than never being touched ever again. However, if I can numb my emotions, if I go through with this surgery it will take those feelings away. It won't take away my wanting to help you, to be around you, I've sure of it. You're ingrained too deeply into my brain for that. It will just help me be whatever you need me to be."

"This brain scrambling will make you complacent?" Zim asked his voice even.

"Yes," Dib tightened his grip on the blankets and his body tensed trying to keep back the pain in his chest.

"It would make you do anything I want? At anytime? Without argument? Without expecting Zim to do anything for you?"

"Yeah, probably. Though I don't think I'd be willing to kill anyone even without my emotions. I'd be just like my Dad; I'll devote everything to you and I won't care about anything else, just like how my dad is towards his work."

"How boring," Zim said blandly and Dib jerked his head up. Zim raised an eye ridge at him, half squinting with one eye. "If I wanted a complacent slave I would have brainwashed you years ago." Zim made an annoyed noise. "I also would have deactivated Gir."

"Yeah, why don't you?" Dib blurted too shocked to react to much else.

Zim snorted, which was impressive due to his lack of a nose. "Because Dib-stupid, Gir is mine. He belongs to me and I am more than capable of dealing with anything he messes up. Shutting him off would only make me seem incompetent," Zim pinned Dib with his stare. "Just like how scrambling your brainmeats would be admitting that I am incapable to taking care of you. I am so amazing that you made me your Hive. Humans are inferior creatures and I am so amazing that taking care of your needs will be easy for me."

A wide and arrogant grin appeared on Zim's face. "How many other Irkens can claim that they are so amazing that they can be a whole Hive? Why would I want to bother with those lesser and needy Tallers? You are mine, completely mine. No other Irken can say that. Other bonded Tallers still belong to the Hive. But I don't need a Hive, I _am_ a Hive, your Hive. I want to bond with you and no other, not human, not Irken. Come to Zim," he held open his arms and made grabbing motions with his hands, "I will fix your starving sickness. I will make the love with you," he said in a smug look-I-know-how-to-use-your-human phrases sort of way.

"You meant that?" Dib stared wide-eyed.

"Yes, I just said that. I do not lie," Zim said. "Now come to Zim," he made grabbing motions again.

Dib's body reacted before his brain could comprehend what was happening, and he moved towards Zim. When he was within reach Zim grabbed him by the shoulders and pushed him right off the suspended bed. Grinning over him on the floor Zim also left the bed and went over to the door to his room. "Follow me, Dib, this is the resting room. We will not be resting anytime soon."

He felt numb. Dib should be feeling elated for at least happy, but he was more or less shocked. Was this real? Could Dib really believe this was happening? As he followed Zim deeper into his base, Dib tried very hard to ignore the fact that they were both very naked. Zim didn't seem to mind at all and whistled as they waited for the elevator to take them lower. Dib strategically placed his hands casually in front of himself, he was acutely aware of the tall alien next to him. Zim was a foot taller than him, still thin and by human standards he'd be emaciated, however he had this powerful and strong presence radiating from him. No one would mistake the form beside him as weak or frail.

The elevator stopped and opened right into the room Dib had found himself in before. The floor was soft and bed-like and very belatedly Dib realized what coming here meant. It wasn't that he didn't understand or know, but that it hadn't dawned on him what _sex_ with Zim would entail. They weren't even the same species how was this going to work? Zim said they were similar physically but Dib had yet to see any evidence of that.

Zim only knew of his own species acts of sex in theory, Dib imagined that with the upgrade he had received some form of Irken sex ed lessons, but that knowledge only went so far. Dib's actual experience was limited to one time that hadn't gone well. Despite knowing that Zim viewed him in a special light and that he wasn't disgusted by Dib or that Dib was a stand-in for some other Irken, Dib still wasn't sure about all this.

Zim stepped into the room and looked around, nodding. He'd sent the computer some new plans that added elements to this room that would aid in his mating with Dib's human body. He wanted to show them off to Dib and impress the human with his knowledge of human mating rituals and practices. Turning back he was about to start bragging when he caught sight of Dib.

The human was still standing in the elevator, his hands covering his genitals, which made sense. Having them out and moving without protection must be uncomfortable. However, it was Dib's face that gave Zim pause. His future bonding partner did not look excited or enticed at all. His eyes were a little too wide and his lips were set in a thin line. Sensing that Zim was watching him Dib focused onto Zim. They faced each other and Zim saw fear in Dib's face.

A part of him was excited at the fear. He used to long to see that look on Dib's face. However, he now wanted Dib as a bonding partner, fear wasn't the look he wanted. Hadn't he settled the human's thoughts? What was wrong now? If Dib wasn't so exotic and his presence didn't tickle Zim's Taller senses in the way he did, he would have given up on the human being his bonding partner. Humans were too complex and confusing, their emotions clouding too much. If it wasn't Dib, Zim would not put in this much effort. He wanted to bond with Dib, but if Dib didn't or couldn't bond with him, then Zim would have settled for just being Dib's Hive. But his instincts were telling him that bonding with the human was possible. He just had to fix Dib's touched starved sickness first.

Dib's hand moved slowly to the side and Zim glared hard at him. "Dib," he said his name firmly making the hand stop. "What are you doing?" Zim narrowed his eyes at him.

"Nothing," Dib said his voice indicating that he was clearly up to something. His hand moved out a little more and Zim looked to see what he trying to reach. Dib's fingers were stretching towards the elevator button.

Zim moved fast, not giving a warning before dashing forward at full speed, only stopping because he had released his PAK legs and they embedded themselves into the elevator wall on either side of Dib's head. When he moved, the human had reflexivity jumped back and plastered himself against the wall.

"Are you afraid?" Zim taunted him, glaring down at the human.

Dib looked at the PAK leg lodged into the metal. "Uh…" he wasn't sure which would be the correct answer. He had a feeling Zim would be pissed either way. Was he afraid? Yes. Yes he was. But was he afraid of Zim? That the alien was going to kill or maim him? No, he wasn't afraid of that.

"Maybe we should do this another day?" Dib suggested and he tried to give a friendly laugh but it just came out awkward and nervous. "Don't you think we're moving a little fast?"

"No," Zim said flatly. "We should be in the middle of mating by now."

"You just figured out how your own species has sex, Irkens and humans are different. Things might not go how you expect. Why don't we do this another day after you have had a chance to do some research and stuff and see if this is really possible?" Dib suggested trying to sound agreeable.

Zim removed his Pak legs from the wall and crossed his arms, he shifted his stance to show the human how annoyed he was. "I have already found all the information I need on human mating rituals and have prepared everything."

"What? When the hell did you do that?" Dib blurted not believing him for a moment.

"At the restaurant," Zim said. "When the Keef human found out that I intended to mate with you he showed me the resources human males use when preparing for a male mating," Zim made a disgusted sound. "When I became a Taller, such information was downloaded into my PAK. I did not need to look up how to properly mate. That you humans need to do so is laughably inferior. However, there is a wealth of information on the various types of mating rituals. If anything, you humans have some interesting but also some disgusting rituals. There are some that I will not concede to no matter how you beg, Dib-human," Zim said cringing slightly.

"However, it is beyond pathetic, that the human Taller you chose as a mating partner couldn't even use his brainmeats enough to find this information," Zim paused and frowned as a thought occurred to him. "Unless it was your own fault, Dib-thing. Did you win the battle of dominance not knowing how to properly satisfy your mating partner?"

"What? No!" Dib denied as a wave of embarrassment and shame washed over him. He broke eye contact. "I knew what to expect. But since it was a first for me, he suggested that he take the lead so I could learn," Dib mumbled.

"But this human failed miserably at mating, correct?" Zim pressed.

"Yeah, but, well he was willing to see it through to the end despite it being with me," Dib said giving a half self-deprecating laugh. "So I can't blame him for the experience. I'm sure he hated it too."

Zim blinked unbelievingly at Dib. "Did you not properly engage in a dominance battle? Submission in the beginning works sometimes, but only if the other has an overwhelmingly dominating presence, like me," Zim added never one to miss a chance at stroking his own ego.

"I'm human, Zim," Dib snapped. "We don't brawl before having sex."

Zim stared down Dib, before sighing. He grabbed Dib's arm and pulled him out the elevator. "This is why humans are inferior. Obviously, you did not do research on the proper human sites, like Zim has. As your Hive it is my duty to educate your puny brainmeats." Despite Dib's protests Zim hauled him across the bed-like floor to a pile of pillows. Zim flopped down into them and pulled the human with him.

Dib struggled but Zim sat up with the human's back pulled against his chest and Zim wrapped his arms and legs around him. "Sit still and read," Zim said as a tablet looking device came out of Zim's PAK and hovered in front of Dib's face, held there by Zim's PAK leg.

Seeing no other option and wanting to argue and prove Zim wrong, Dib read. It was an online article about male-on-male sex. The author went into detail about how important it was to experiment with your partner. To touch and explore each other's comfort and pleasure zones to see how they reacted to different stimulus. Through that exploration, the author explained, you could figure out who would like to be the bottom and top for anal sex. The author then went into detail about foreplay techniques that ranged from normal to some pretty kinky stuff.

"What's your point Zim?" Dib asked feeling his face heat, he only skimmed the rest of the article not wanting to read too much while in a naked hold.

"My point?'" Zim repeated flabbergasted. He tapped angrily on the screen. "My _point_ Dib-thing, is that you did not follow your own mating rituals and neither one of you engaged in a battle for dominance. If your mating partner did not have an overwhelming domineering presence, then you should not have submitted so easily. You missed the important steps, so of course your mating was not successful."

"What? And you think you can do much better?" Dib said wanting to get Zim riled up so he would let him go. Then they could fight and Dib wouldn't have to be constantly reminded of his horrible past. However, while he did rile up Zim, it wasn't in the way Dib had been expecting.

Something thin, wet and warm slid along his neck, making Dib freeze.

"No, Dib-thing," Zim said in a near purr next to his ear. "I do not _think_ , I _know_ I will do better. I have done a lot of research and your human mating rituals were easy to master. I do like brawling for dominance, but today I will win using your own mating techniques against you." Zim clamped down on Dib's arms and slid his legs down from where they were wrapped around Dib's middle to between Dib's criss-crossed legs. Zim hooked his feet under Dib's legs and used his leverage and strength to pull them apart.

"Zim? What are you doing?" Dib said struggling in Zim's grip. He tried leaning forward but Zim kept his chest firmly against Dib's back and his long fingers had a tight grasp on Dib's biceps. Zim pulled them both back until Dib was lying on top of Zim while Zim was on the pillows. Zim was sort of using his own body like a restraining table. "Let go, Zim, if we're going to fight the least you can do is let me put some clothes on," Dib said.

"It will be harder to touch you with clothes on. I still need to fix your touch starvation," Zim said bending his head to lick the side of Dib's neck.

A shiver ran along his skin at the touch, but like hell was Dib going to admit that to Zim in this position. "Let me go Zim, you can't even touch me like this."

"Aren't you forgetting something, human?" Zim teased flexing his fingers so he could brush them along Dib's skin. This close he could sense and feel the subtle shifts in Dib's body and scent. He knew his touch was causing a reaction, but Dib was correct that it wasn't enough.

Dib heard a whirring. " _Shit_ ," Dib swore. He forgot about Zim's PAK legs. Looking up he saw metal tendrils with clamping ends snap at him and he felt Zim chuckle against his back. The clamps grabbed his wrists and while Dib tensed and fought against them, they eventually were able to wrench his arms up above his head, leaving Zim's hands free.

"Now to fix your sickness," Zim said and lightly touched his bare claws along Dib's sides. Dib flinched at the touch, sensing how pointed and dangerous Zim's uncovered hands were. His hands weren't clawed like a bear, but his green fingertips ended in hard and wicked points, with the right amount of pressure those tips could easily puncture through his skin, but they didn't.

Up and down, they ran long his sides. Zim just lightly touched him, it felt almost playful. Slowly Zim laid his hands flat against Dib's ribs and began caressing his skin. Sliding his hands around Zim stroked his stomach, tracing his ribcage and caressing his sides. The sensations were weirdly calming, if it wasn't for the occasional tongue against Dib's neck he might have relaxed completely. As it was Dib kept his mouth tightly shut and tried not to react to the gentle lover-like touches.

At that thought Dib felt the pain his chest ease. If Zim truly didn't care wouldn't he just rush ahead like that last guy did? Instead Zim was doing his best to 'fix' Dib and make this enjoyable for him too. A different tightness swelled in his chest as his body tensed in reaction to Zim's touches.

Zim felt the shift though Dib's body and in the scent Dib was giving off, "Time for the next stage, is it?" Zim said and Dib could hear the grin in his voice.

"What stage are you—" Dib cut himself off in a breathy gasp as Zim slid his hands up higher and grazed his claws over his nipples. Dib swore and squirmed under the touch, but it wasn't helping because all it was doing was rubbing his entire body along Zim's and he was beginning to react to the sensual touching.

"Such a curious place for such sensitive spots," Zim observed. He had one claw tracing light circles around the nipple while his other hand rubbed the other little nub around, then he switched alternating tracing and rubbing. He felt the nubs stiffen, which was interesting, so he tried the other thing he knew humans liked and lightly pinched both of them. Dib gasped and his hips jerked, drawing Zim's attention to a moment Zim stilled and scowled thinking that Dib was going to make a mess with his body's waste fluids, that was until his PAK reminded him of his research. Such a reaction meant that Dib was reacting to him and his body was preparing for mating.

Zim was so focused on touching Dib's nipples and watching the twitching reaction it was having on a certain area of Dib's body, that he hadn't been paying attention to his own body's reaction to the scent building in the air. However, Zim's antennae were acutely aware of the delicious scent rising off of Dib and bent themselves to be closer to it. A feather-light touch tickled at Dib's fingertips. Looking up he saw Zim's antennae twitching near to where his hands were pinned above his head. Zim never let him touch them and kept then well out of the way and protected from whatever he was doing.

Dib's idea was that he would grab Zim's antennae and hold them until Zim released him. He had been nervous and reluctant due to the awkwardness before, but now that Zim was so intent on getting the mood going Dib wanted to even the playing field. He'd been dreaming about touching Zim for years. He was still hesitant on whether Zim would actually enjoy being with him, so he wanted to do whatever he could before Zim tired of him or became disillusioned. If that happened and Zim did tire of him he could just get the lobotomy then. He shouldn't rush, at least he would allow himself to enjoy this moment.

Dib stretched out his fingers and captured one antenna end between his finger and thumb. Dib held it firmly and curled his other fingers around the stalk, careful not to squeeze too tightly. The reaction was instant, but it wasn't the one Dib had been expecting.

Zim shuddered at the touch, his hands stilled and reflexively grabbed at Dib's chest, making the human wince at the sharp points. " _Tallest_ ," Zim breathed burying his face into Dib's neck. "It's like you are touching the deepest part," Zim muttered.

A realization came to Dib and he gently rubbed the end between his fingers. Zim made a sound halfway between a moan and a hiss, his hands slipped around Dib's middle holding the human in a tight hug. His other antennae whacked at Dib's hand as the PAK legs lost their grip. Dib easily captured the other antenna and stroked the length between two fingers.

Hissing in pleasure Zim nuzzled at Dib's neck, licking his skin and carefully nipping at the human's pulse as warm fingers softly stroked his buzzing antennae. Zim knew that antennae sensitivity meant that he was almost primed for mating. He knew that it would feel good to have them touched when mating, but the information he'd received couldn't have prepared him for how overpowering the pleasurable feeling was. It was causing a building pressure between his legs and he could begin to feel his mating organs stirring. It was a very odd sensation as he hadn't felt their presence before this moment. It felt ticklish and itchy and it was making him squirmy.

Dib was surprised when he felt a slickness against his backside and Zim ground his hips up against him. "Zim, loosen up," he instructed bringing one hand down to pull at the iron grip around his middle. "I want to turn around."

"No. No moving," Zim mumbled rubbing his face against the back of Dib's neck. He seemed to like the feeling of the short hairs Dib had at the nape of his neck against his face.

"If I turn around, I can touch you better," Dib said. Zim held on tighter for a brief moment before his grip loosened enough for Dib to shift around so he was on top of Zim, but facing him now. Dib made sure to keep one hand on an antenna since it seemed to keep the Irken docile. Curious, Dib shifted so he could sit to the side and look down. Zim followed his gaze.

There was a noticeable line along Zim's crotch and the skin around it was darker, the edge slightly swollen with a sheen to it. Since Zim hadn't done any below the belt touching, Dib wanted to make sure he was being respectful as well.

"Can I touch you here?" Dib said pointing with one free hand while the other softly rubbed Zim's antennae tip. Zim arched his back at the sensation of his hyper sensitive ends being so gently touched. It was intensifying that building itchy needy feeling. The idea of touching that area seemed like an excellent idea. In answer Zim grabbed the human's hand and thrust it palm down on top of the tingling area.

" _Irk!"_ Zim swore and thrust his hips up as he pressed the human's hand down. Touching was just what he needed and he needed, wanted, more. His grip on the human's wrist tightened and he tried moving his hand up and down along the area, but was met with resistance.

Dib chuckled. "I got it, I got it," he said and began moving his fingers.

Zim let out a gasping moan that ended in a hiss. _This_ had to be why humans had so many fingers. _Irk_ , the sensations! Soft and heated they caressed his own heated skin. One sly finger slid right along the split in his skin and the germophobic part of Zim's brain was slightly disgusted to find that he was _leaking_ slimy fluids, but the Taller part of his programming helped calm his panic. It was just his mating fluid, it was going to ease the process and it did feel amazingly good to have the slickness coat Dib's fingers as they rubbed him.

"I want to try something," Dib said a bit breathy as the sight and sounds Zim was making had made him fully hard. He could feel the skin underneath his fingers soften and begin to spread. "Don't bite me," Dib warned before leaning down to press his lips to Zim's.

Zim's instinct had been to open his mouth and latch onto whatever was stupid enough to get so close to his teeth, but at the last moment Zim recognized the gesture as one of the human rituals. He let the Dib press their mouths together. It wasn't an unpleasant sensation, it was just another to add to the ones his body was trying to process. His antenna was being rubbed, his lower needy flesh was being stroked, and he could feel Dib's tongue lightly poke at his lips as his fingertip gently wiggled its way into Zim's parting slit.

Something deep inside wanted that touch, so Zim thrust his hips forward and Dib's finger easily slid inside. As it came in contact with the thing that very much wanted to be touched, Zim gasped at the pleasurable sensation. At the same moment, Dib thrust his tongue inside Zim's mouth and moved it around, just as his finger wiggled around.

Zim decided that the humans had at least one thing going for them, and he grabbed Dib's face in his claws, letting Dib do as he willed with his hands. He pulled the human's face as close as it could get to his own as their tongues slid across each other. The two muscles sliding around in the slick wetness of their mouths mirrored exactly what his lower half wanted.

The finger inside him poked and wiggled around until it bumped against something that pushed back. Dib was startled enough that he stopped moving altogether. Zim, never one to let a moment of hesitation go, took the opportunity to capture Dib's tongue with his own and squeezed it as something curled around Dib's finger.

"Pull it out," Zim said his voice thick with desperate need. Because Zim was feeling frustrated he bit Dib's cheek then proceeded to nibble on his skin, down his jawline, neck and throat. Zim hands roamed over the human wanting to feel the warm skin, almost by accident his hands found those little sensitive nubs and reminded of their existence, Zim pinched them.

Dib gasped feeling intense pleasure of his own and also wanting to know what the hell was curling around his finger, he slowly pulled. Zim threw back his head, unconsciously pinching Dib harder and Dib both winced and shivered from Zim's touch. Removing his finger from Zim's body, Dib pulled with it a long and narrowly tipped tongue-like appendage. Still curled around Dib's finger it began squirming around. Wanting to get a better look Dib wrapped the rest of his hand around it and reflexively squeezed when it tried to squirm out of his grasp.

Zim cried out, back arching and his hips flexing, as the tip uncurled from Dib's finger and released a pinkish and clear substance. Zim's body collapsed back onto the floor and he panted for a moment before lifting his head to glare at Dib. "Squeezing it so soon after its emergence is a cheap trick, Dib-thing," Zim said his head beginning to clear slightly.

Dib sat back on his heels and looked down at the stuff coating his hand. "Did…did you just cum?"

Zim blinked once, his PAK translating the odd human word. His face flushed a deep green. He propped himself up on his elbows and looking away he mumbled something but Dib couldn't hear.

"What?" Dib asked.

"I SAID," Zim shouted louder than necessary, his embarrassed anger making his voice fluctuate. He was the Hive, he should have been more in control. "FINE! You win," he admitted grumpily. "But don't expect to win every time! Now that I know what to expect, I will not be so easily defeated."

"What?" Dib felt a bit stupid but he had no idea what Zim was going on about.

Zim looked at him like he was indeed stupid. "You gave to Zim the most pleasure, so you win the right be the dominant in this mating."

"Oh. Wow. Okay, um," Dib equally nervous and excited. He looked down at Zim's alien, but beautiful body. He wanted this, he wanted Zim so bad. His deepest fantasies were coming true. Except, reality was different than his imagination. "Where do I…?" Dib trailed off not seeing an obvious answer.

"What?" Zim asked getting irritated. His body was still needy and he wanted more touching, but Dib won and he couldn't start until Dib did.

"How?" Dib made useless hand gestures as Zim squinted one eye at him. Finally, need overcame embarrassment, "How do I have sex with you?" Dib blurted.

Zim scowled and opened his mouth to berate the useless human, until he remembered that Dib was _human_ and thus didn't know how Irken bodies worked. Zim knew about humans because he had access to human information. Dib had no such access for Irkens Tallers.

A sly plan came to mind and Zim grinned at his own genius. It looked like he could still be dominant after all. Sitting up he mirrored Dib's posture and sat back on his heels. "Since you do not know," Zim began and leaned forward placing his hands on Dib's thighs. "I can show you," he said leaning in close.

"Um, sure," Dib said highly distracted by the weirdly seductive face Zim was making. The look in his ruby eyes turned predatory and Dib swallowed hard. When they were kids that look meant Dib was going to have a hard day…not much was different now, same words different meaning.

Feeling triumphant, Zim pushed Dib onto his back and he crawled on top of the human. "Irken females have a completely different orifice specifically for mating. But Irken males are different," Zim informed him as he trailed his claws over Dib's chest and stomach. As he dipped lower and lower, Zim noticed how Dib's male part was twitching. Lightly, Zim ran a claw along the length and Dib shivered.

"Z-Zim," Dib shuddered out his name and Zim felt a thrill run through him.

"Irken males use the empty holding pouch," Zim said using one hand to lightly hold his organ back as he placed Dib's right behind his own. If he didn't keep his organ out of the way, it would just want to wrap around Dib's and while that would feel good, Zim wanted to have a full mating. Slowly Zim lowered, guiding Dib's male part along the underside of his own. Zim winced as he had to push down more to get Dib past the parting skin. In the future he would have to remember to have the human stimulate the skin more, but for now it was enough. Now that his organ was fully emerged, the space it had occupied inside Zim's body was vacant. Irken males found that having their partner's male part sliding in and rubbing against the base of their own male part was very pleasurable.

Dib was very different in size and texture from another Irken male, so the sensation was both exotic and weird. Dib was smooth and soft but also firm and instead of the end tapering off into a small narrow point, his was the same size from base to top, actually the top felt wider.

Zim paused when Dib was almost but not all the way inside. He felt stretched like two male parts were inside him at once, his body trembled as pleasure stimulated his senses. This feeling was dangerously close to a bonding. He fully intended to Bond with the human, but he wanted to have a non-bonding experiences first. And he now knew that he would have to explain to Dib how Irken bonding went since he belatedly realized that the human wouldn't know there was a difference.

Since mating was such an important part of keeping a well-functioning Hive, Irkens evolved to have multiple sexual organs. Only one set was capable of reproduction and was only used between bonding partners. The other set was used for non-bonded Taller partners. Zim's currently extended male part was his non-bonding set. His Bonding-only male organ was safely curled up tight in a pocket near the base of his first male part. In non-bonding matings, it felt good to have a partner lightly brush against that area, but in a Bonding session an Irken male would use both his organs in mating.

For a male and female bonding the male partner would release both organs allowing the second one to come out and swell and both would fit into the female's specialized mating orifice where she would extract the Bonding fluids.

For male and male Bondings the submissive male wouldn't let out his second organ, but instead let his partner's two organs in deeper to stimulate the organ inside the pouch. The submissive male's second organ would then mimic the female extraction process. For two females, instead of extracting fluids they would let their Bonding organs stimulate each other. For all Bonding pairs the Bonding act created a deep pleasure that would leave both partners very vulnerable and once it occurred their body would accept no other Bonding partner. Irkens were possessive and selfish like that.

All this information flowed through Zim's mind simultaneously and took no more than a breath for him to think about. A lot was going through Dib's mind at this time as well. Actually, not a lot of information but his mind was filled with the sensations he was experiencing.

Dib was being tightly pressed between Zim's pulsating male part and his slick insides. He couldn't believe that he was fitting in like this, but it felt so damn good. The sight of Zim lowering himself on him, his face flushed a dark green and his red eyes glazed with pleasure. Zim's antennae were twitching and jerking on top of his head and his breath was coming out in hisses and almost vibrating purrs. Grabbing Zim's hips to help steady the Irken, Dib tested the sensations and flexed his hips slightly.

Zim immediately braced his hands against Dib's chest as he made a sound of pure pleasure, however he could tell that Zim was having a hard time. He didn't want to hurt Zim, or make him uncomfortable. He wanted this to go well. He wanted to do this again and again. Carefully Dib sat up and pulled himself out.

"What are you doing?" Zim glared at him for the loss of the sensations. For a brief moment Zim was worried that the human was rejecting him. However Dib just grabbed the back of his head and pulled him in to engage in the tongue touching. Any form of touching was good, so Zim let the human proceed. Dib also reached down to stroke Zim's external organ, which felt very good as well. The hand behind his head reached up and found an antenna to fondle leaving Zim incapable of any more protests.

Slowly, Dib eased Zim backwards until Dib was the one on top. He slid his fingers along Zim' base until they slipped past the parting skin. With two fingers he stroked deeper and since they were thinner it felt much more like a normal mating session. Dib could see from Zim's reactions that there wasn't any hesitation this time and Zim thrust up moving himself against Dib's fingers as Dib moved.

Zim didn't sweat so much as his skin started to taste different. He was sweet and Dib licked and nibbled on Zim's neck like the Irken had done to him. Purrs and hisses and jumbled Irken words came from Zim's mouth as his body experienced the pleasures of mating. In the middle of it he realized that Dib was not mating with him, but he was feeling too good to do more than claw at Dib's back.

"D-Dib…you," Zim eventually managed to pant out.

"Do you feel good?" Dib asked, knowing that Zim was feeling more than that and he was just a little smug about it.

"Mate," Zim growled out then moaned as Dib's fingers slid in deep to lightly brush against that one spot. "Mate now," he managed.

"Next time," Dib said kissing Zim's neck. "I want you to feel good."

While the idea that Dib was giving him pleasure without getting any himself made Zim's spooch squeeze in happy fluttery almighty-Irk-he-is-worshiping-me-like-I-am-the-greatest-Irken-alive sort of way, Zim would not let such a faithful Taller/smaller be neglected. It would make him look bad.

"Now!" Zim demanded and wanting to make a point he grabbed Dib's male organ and squeezed. Dib had been so close just from touching Zim that the sudden contact was too much and he cried out with a jerk, making his fingers go just a little deeper and Zim's body had had enough as well and his external organ released its final fluid.

Both of them shuddered as their bodies orgasmed. Dib collapsed down on top of Zim and pulled out his hand, lethargically inspecting his slick fingers. Zim knocked his hand down and forcefully grabbed the human's head to turn it to face him, or well he tried to grab him forcefully but the aftermath of receiving pleasure made his arms noodle-like.

"Why did you not mate with me?" Zim demanded to know with a rough voice.

"I didn't want to hurt you," Dib said and seeing the anger rising he also added, "And you said I won dominance, so that meant I could please you how I wanted. I wanted to watch your reactions. I wanted to make you feel good. And it wasn't like I wasn't feeling it, all it took was your touch for me to finish after all." This seemed to plicate Zim a little.

"I am so amazing that my pleasure is your pleasure?" Zim said rephrasing the statement and he grinned at Dib's nod. Resting his head back against the soft floor-bed his grip on Dib's head shifted so he could pet Dib's hair. "Yes, I am pretty amazing. Next time I will win dominance and then you will see how amazing I am," Zim paused a moment. "You did well for not knowing anything about Irken pleasure. I was close to Bonding right then with you," Zim lifted his head to look at Dib with a wide grin. "Irkens are superior in every way to humans. Later I will show you how superior when we finally Bond."

That grin had Dib stirring again and to distract himself, Dib rested his head back down on Zim's stomach, letting Zim pet his hair. In a moment he was sure the Irken would start to realize that they were covered in slick body fluids and he would freak out and need to clean everything. Until then Dib wasn't going to break the first after-sex cuddle session he ever had.

"Whatever you say, Space-boy," Dib said keeping his smile from Zim's sight.


	9. Zim's Win

A few hours later after they were both fully clothed again, Dib was helping Zim reorganize his lab. With Zim's new height a lot of his resources and current projects were stored in places that were inconvenient for his new form and a lot of the material was too delicate for the computer to move. Dib didn't mind the tedious task, he was still on a weird high from being intimate with Zim. Zim wanted him. Zim enjoyed his touch. He meant something to the ex-invader. It was the best X-mas gift Dib had ever received.

Dib was carefully setting glass containers filled with who knows what onto a higher shelf when he felt Zim's stare. Turning he raised one eyebrow at the concentrated look on Zim's face as he studied him. "What?" Dib prompted, just a little unnerved by the oddly silent stare.

"Right there," Zim pointed to Dib's left shoulder.

"Where?" Dib looked down slightly panicked to the spot Zim was pointing too. He fully expected to see some horrible _thing_ there that escaped from Zim's labs, but he saw nothing. "That's not funny, Zim," Dib said slightly annoyed and he glared back at him.

"Yes, right here," Zim said completely ignoring Dib's comment as he walked up to Dib and poked not his shoulder but the left side of Dib's upper chest. "This is where I will mark you."

"Mark me?" Dib repeated pushing away Zim's hand. "With what? Why?"

Zim finally looked at Dib and frowned. His height advantage was only slightly intimidating to Dib. Dib just had to remind himself that he could subdue Zim quite nicely. Years of repressed yearning gave him the advantage when it came to submitting to pleasure first.

"Why?" Zim said scowling and straightening to his full height to peer down at his human. "I won the bet. I get to mark you."

"Bet? What bet?"

"Don't try to ferret your way out of this, Dib. Zim won the bet. I mastered your human social rituals at the X-mas dinner, so I get to mark you."

"It's weasel, Zim, not ferret," Dib corrected. "And as I recall you were having somewhat of a mental breakdown and we went out to make you feel better."

"I was not breaking down," Zim said offended. "I was just adjusting to my new body," Zim crossed his arms defensively. Dib raised his eyebrows pointedly at Zim and Zim scowled. "Fine!" he said planting his fists on his hips. "Then we will have a new bet. If I win our next dominance battle, _then_ I get to mark you."

Dib grinned, openly confident. "Deal, and if I win I get free range of your lab."

"Deal, Dib-thing," Zim grinned also openly confident. "As you humans say, I will make you fall heels over head for Zim."

"Sure," Dib rolled his eyes not bothering to correct Zim this time.

* * *

As it turned out Dib didn't need to correct Zim, because Zim knew exactly what he was talking about. Dib was falling heels over his head for Zim. Quite literally his feet flew over his head as he fell backwards across the table and onto the floor. Luckily, he protected his head as he fell and rolled to his feet with only slight bruises to add to the one he was most definitely going to have on his ribs from Zim's surprisingly strong kick.

Zim jumped onto the table and peered down at Dib, a wide grin splitting his face when he saw that Dib had quickly recovered. The crazy little-turned-big bastard was really enjoying this. Zim leapt for him and at the last moment Dib rolled onto his back and used both feet to kick Zim away using his own momentum against him. Zim twisted his body in the air to land in a crouched position, one hand on the floor the other out to the side. He looked very much like an action hero that just made an epic landing and Dib _knew_ that Zim had posed on purpose.

"Nice counter, Dib-thing," Zim said with a pleased smirk, "But let's see how you dodge this," he said and bolted forward.

Dib had just enough time to get to his feet before Zim collided into him. Dib blocked a blow to his head but couldn't block the knee to his gut. He doubled over slightly to escape most of the blow and Zim used the opportunity to grab his arm and twist him around then slam him into the wall. His other hand pressed Dib's head into the cold metal of the wall and Zim leaned in close to speak directly into Dib's ear.

"Do you admit defeat yet?" Zim practically purred.

Dib grunted trying to throw off Zim's grip, but the now-tall ex-Invader was strong. "Not in your life, Zim," Dib retaliated and shifted his leg to hook around Zim's and jerked his weight off balance. It was just enough to loosen Zim's grip and Dib was able push back against the wall with his free hand, then turn on his heel and swing his fist around to connect with Zim's jaw.

Zim staggered back and rubbed his jaw before jerking it back into its socket. Dib almost winced at the crunching sound the movement made. Zim, however, wasn't disturbed at all and he flexed his jaw a few times before turning his attention back to Dib.

"That was almost as good as an Irken Elite," Zim praised.

"Um, thanks," Dib said shifting to put his guard back up. Zim kept looking at him expectantly so Dib added, "You're pretty quick, yourself." Zim gave a short, satisfied nod.

Apparently, Irken courtship not only included beating the crap out of each other, but also complimenting the other as they did so. He hadn't fought with Zim like this in a long time and Dib had to admit that it had his adrenalin pumping. Zim was now faster and stronger and bigger than him, so this wasn't an easy fight, but even if he was taller he was still Zim. Eventually his confidence would get the better of him and then Dib would have a chance of turning the tables.

The stakes were high in this battle. Despite Dib knowing that Zim did desire him and need him he was still hesitant to trust Zim completely. Dib was much more comfortable with the idea of being the lead or them just mutually making each other feel good. Letting Zim have full control over _anything_ was a recipe for disaster.

Although Dib would be lying if he said he wasn't enjoying this. There was a certain thrill he always got when fighting Zim and it was only natural that his body was channeling that thrilling feeling to other parts of his anatomy as well. Afterall, it wasn't often Zim said nice-ish things to him.

"You are proving to be a worthy opponent, I was not mistaken in choosing you," Zim said and the genuineness of the comment stunned Dib and made his heart squeeze in a touched and bashful sort of way.

Zim didn't hesitate and swept Dib off his feet with a swift kick, making the human fall to the floor. Very early on in their battle for dominance, Zim discovered the advantage he had over the human. Physically, despite his increased size and strength, they were more or less evenly matched, at least before Dib lost his stamina. Dib was quick thinking and Zim was resistant to damage and had a quick recovery. However, Zim knew that he was amazing, he'd been telling himself so since the day his PAK activated him, so the verbal exchanges in their battle didn't affect him. Dib on the other hand, was not used to such phrases and the words of praise and encouragement were new to the human.

Much like how Zim was easily overcome by the physical sensations of pleasure, Dib was greatly affected by Zim's words of praise. Any other Irken would just accept them to be true and it would show them that their potential partner was aware of their strengths and the acknowledgement of them just reinforced the bonding experience. But Dib wasn't used to having acknowledgement and feeling accepted and known by others, such words were his weakness. And Zim fully planned on using this weakness against him.

He wanted to dominate in a mating with Dib. In all honesty, Dib being dominate made it very hard to resist bonding with him and Zim needed some more time to prepare Dib for what a bonding meant. He also had to figure out a way for him to equally bond with the human, otherwise it wouldn't feel right. After all bonding wasn't just about the physical act of mating, a physical change happened in an Irken PAK and body that made it impossible to mate with another. Currently there wasn't a human equitant and Zim needed to do some more research to figure something out. Gaining the role of being the dominant one just made the most sense, but Zim couldn't just _be_ dominate, he had to _take_ it, he had to _earn_ it. Even if he was using an unfair advantage.

Before the human could get to his feet Zim tackled the human on the floor, sitting on his thighs to prevent the human from getting up. It was very hard to resist using his PAK legs, but since Dib had no PAK it wouldn't be mate-worthy of Zim to use his. Besides, Zim was amazing enough that he didn't need to use to his PAK.

Dib swung his fists and Zim caught one then the other and pinned both arms to the floor. Dib glared defiantly back at him and continued to jerk his body, testing Zim for weakness, looking for a way to gain the upper hand once more.

"Your eyes are what Zim likes most," Zim purred as he leaned over the human, his words (as expected) startling the human. "Defiant, strong, willful," Zim leaned closer with each word until he hovered right above Dib's face. "Upon the brink of death, not even then would your eyes grow dull. You would fight to your last breath. You are the perfect enemy. You would make any mission worth completing. Even now you struggle, never willing to submit. Zim loves it when you struggle," he said daring to let his tongue out and quickly lick Dib's bottom lip. Until full submission was given Zim didn't want to chance his tongue getting bitten.

Zim grinned as his antennae picked up a spike in Dib's scent. Sitting as he was on the human, he could also feel the effects he was having on Dib. Zim shifted his weight adding a little friction to that area and Dib sucked in air through his teeth then let it out in a shaky breath.

"Do you admit defeat, Dib?" Zim asked.

Dib swore and resisted the urge to grind back up against Zim. Who knew throwing punches would feel so kinky? He wanted nothing more than to let Zim continue to grind against him and maybe kiss him and have Zim do that thing with his tongue squeezing his own. However, he didn't want to let Zim win this. Firstly, he still wasn't sure Zim could apply what he knew about male 'bonding' in practice and he wasn't sure Zim would like it and... there was just a lot Dib was anxious about. Secondly, he wasn't too keen on Zim claiming the right to permanently mark him either, mostly because Dib was sure it was going to hurt… a lot.

Taking a deep breath, Dib calmed himself down and made his body relax. He closed his eyes and focused. Zim could see and feel the tension leave him and he curiously studied the human looking for signs that Dib was offering submission.

"Dib?" Zim ventured and leaned closer to get a better read of Dib's scent.

Dib waited and focused. When he felt Zim shift he moved into action. Zim's guard dropped when Dib stopped struggling and sensing the shift in weight Dib used that moment to thrust his legs up and unseat Zim from his waist. Free from the weight, Dib twisted out of the startled Irken's grasp and firmly planted his foot on Zim's side and pushed the alien off him. Rolling to his feet Dib shifted into a fighting stance and waited for Zim's counter attack.

"You're faster than before," Dib said knowing that weirdly enough he was supposed to compliment the other when fighting. "Stronger too, I've never enjoyed fighting anyone more than you, but I won't let you win that easily."

Zim recovered quickly and faced Dib, a sly smile on his face. "You don't have to let me win, Dib, I will win eventually, but Zim appreciates the thought. I know you want me to dominate you, I'll be patient. Yes, let's enjoy this a little longer," he said and sprang forward.

Dib narrowly missed Zim's grapple and only escaped by diving to the side and rolling behind a workbench. "I don't want you to dominate me," Dib protested though his mind betrayed him by conjuring up the image.

"Lies," Zim voiced hissed from above him. Dib jerked his head up to see Zim peering over the counter at him with a wide grin.

Damn, he forgot that Zim didn't have to jump or climb over things to reach him anymore. He was tall enough to just lean over and grab him, which is exactly what he tried to do. Dib was able to escape most of Zim's hold, but the alien's claws grasped the back of his shirt. Dib twisted and sacrificed the shirt in order to save himself from getting caught again.

"Resourceful as ever, Dib," Zim praised as he held up the shirt. Dib stepped further back out of reach weary of the intense look Zim was giving him. "Human bodies are odd," Zim mused with an almost wistful gaze. "So much texture and shape, and your skin is damaged so easily," he said though he didn't sound condemning at all. "I like that," he said. "Your body is covered with my marks, scars from our battles, evidence that you belong to me."

Dib rolled his eyes. "Yeah, well if you could scar you'd be covered in my marks too."

Zim's antennae perked up in surprise, "You wish to mark Zim?"

Dib looked at Zim's flawless and smooth green skin, then he glanced down at his own. Pale from lack of sun, splotchy, covered in scars and some scattered freckles, his skin was nothing like Zim's. At least he had some muscle and he wasn't flabby, of course the only times he actually had real meals was when he did restaurant reviews. So while he had some muscle he was more skinny than fit. The bandages from the chemical burns were plastered to his skin and Dib winced thinking about how his skin was going to look while they healed. Honestly he wasn't sure how Zim could stand to look at him when Zim's own species didn't even have issues with complexion.

However, he wasn't about to lament his body issues with Zim, especially with Zim. "No, most humans aren't really into carving their names into… people," Dib ended lamely realizing that people like to carve their name on stuff all the time.

"You are different from those other pig-smellies," Zim said his voice startlingly close making Dib jump back as he hadn't noticed Zim approach. Before he could fully recover from his surprise Zim gave him a solid punch to the gut, making Dib double over as he tried to regain his breath. With a kick from behind Dib stumbled forward into the workbench, not missing a beat Zim kicked out Dib's legs, putting him off balance. He shoved Dib's back, making him bend over onto the countertop, as he stepped between Dib's legs both to protect himself from getting kicked and to keep Dib immobilized.

The breath knocked out of him, Dib didn't have time to react. It wasn't until he felt his stomach being pressed against the cold metal of the table that he realized the position he was in. Zim had both his arms pinned behind his back, giving him no leverage, and his legs were splayed out too far for him to properly gain a foothold. Zim was firmly pinning his body in place with his own and Dib couldn't help but notice that with Zim's new height he was at the perfect level to grind against him in a very suggestive manner. Which is exactly what Zim decided to do.

With one hand he held Dib's wrists locked together at the small of Dib's back and with his other he grabbed a fistful of Dib's hair and shoved his head firmly against the table. However, he made sure that Dib's head was turned so he could look back at Zim. Once he had the human's attention, in the form of a defiant glare, Zim ground his hips against the human making sure that Dib could tell that Zim was ready to mate. Dib's scent spiked and his face flushed.

"Yessss," Zim hissed pleased at the reaction. "Even completely subdued you fight back. Dib, you are the perfect partner for Zim. No one else gives me such satisfaction when I win, no one else makes me relish in the thought of our next battle. I have never beaten you completely. You are unbreakable. I could make you submit a thousand times but I would never truly dominate you. You are most worthy of becoming my bonding partner. I am your Hive, and you are both my lesser and my equal." Zim leaned down close to Dib's ear, pressing more firmly against him in the process. "If you wish to mark me as your Hive and bonding partner, I will allow it."

Dib stared back at him with surprise. "Really?" he asked both weirdly touched but also slightly weary of such an outrageous offer.

"Do you admit defeat?" Zim asked in turn.

Suddenly, the consequences of being unable to fight sunk in. Dib struggled but Zim had a firm hold on his arms and he was unable to breakfree. He tried to move his legs but couldn't get enough leverage to dislodge Zim from behind him, all he ended up doing was creating more friction between them stirring them both up a little more. Dib went lax, feeling defeated but not ready to admit it. He looked back at Zim.

The smug asshole just grinned down at him.

"What if I don't?" Dib said not quite ready to give up yet.

Zim could sense that while Dib's scent and body had already submitted to him, his stubborn human still refused to yield. That was fine with him, their battle for dominance wasn't just about who was physically stronger. If Zim couldn't prove his dominance then his bonding partner wouldn't be inclined to mate with him. He had to entice Dib, to show him that Zim was worthy of being in control of Dib's body, of giving pleasure to him and taking pleasure from him. Dib proved his dominance in their battle of physical needs, he proved that he could master Zim's body and give him the good feelings he deserved. Now Zim had to prove the same, that his will was strong enough to be a dominating and pleasurable partner. He wouldn't win this battle until Dib willingly submitted to him, he had to earn the right to his to-be-bonding partner's body.

"Zim thinks you will," Zim said leaning close and licking the edge of Dib's ear, in the process he ground their hips together again earning a delicious sound from the human.

"Ah, damn, Zim," Dib panted out. "How the hell did you learn all this in a day?"

"What did Zim learn?" he asked slyly grinding against him again.

Dib closed his eyes and swore. Zim's grip on his arms, the feeling of his claws pricking his skull, the cold table against his hot skin and the alien's obvious arousal grinding into his ass was almost more than Dib could stand. Before they started this sexy battle, Zim had the computer make Dib another set of clothes that he could use while they worked on a few small projects in Zim's lab. While he had shed the trench coat early on in their battle to avoid getting pinned down and Zim had stolen his shirt, he still had the Irken-grade boots and pants that Zim made for him. Irken cloth was surprisingly sturdy and acid and flame resistant so he could understand Zim's insistence that Dib wear the clothes Zim had made.

However, the cloth felt deceptively thin so as Zim rubbed himself against Dib's ass, Dib could feel a lot more than if he had just stuck to wearing his jeans. And Irken pants couldn't be worn with underwear since they were like leggings and wearing underwear made weird lines and Zim demanded that Dib go and change and wear his clothes properly. At this point Dib was of half the mind that Zim had done all that just so he could rub against him like this. The clothing felt thin and Dib could feel every squirm of the member trapped in Zim's pants. Dib had never been so hard in his life.

At Dib's swearing, Zim's grinned widened. "Ah, the Dib means this?" he asked as he slid his hand from Dib's head down his neck. He lightly grazed Dib's collarbone with his sharp claws and slid his hand around Dib's body. With a slight pull at Dib's arms, the human's body lifted off the table enough for Zim to have better access. Using the pads of his fingers instead of the points of his claws, Zim began rubbing the sensitive nipple on Dib's chest. The noises Dib made tickled Zim's antennae and the scent of arousal became thicker in the air.

"You are making it hard for me," Zim said low and close to Dib's ear. "To resist bonding with you right now. I want to claim you as mine, to make it so no other can have you. I want you to call my name, to give me pleasure and show me that I am your everything, that I am your Hive. Dib, submit to Zim. Tell me I am worthy of your devotion."

"Yes, damn it," Dib said feeling his resolve break. How could Zim even think he wasn't worthy? The fact that Zim was trying to prove himself was more than enough. Even if the act itself was painful and horrible, at least this was good, it was so good. If Zim needed him, wanted him, how could Dib ask for anything more? "Y-you win, Zim," Dib said his voice shuddering as Zim continued his assault on his nipples.

"You are submitting?" Zim purred the question as he licked the back of Dib's neck. "You acknowledge that Zim is dominant?"

"Y-Yeah," Dib said, whatever Zim wanted to do Dib was ready. He was more than ready _,_ he wanted it, even if the final act was unpleasant he wanted it. He wanted Zim. He wanted Zim to want him.

"Good," Zim said suddenly withdrew.

Dib was stunned for a moment as Zim released him and stepped back. A little confused and unable to think completely clearly as his body was struggling with the sudden lack of stimulation, Dib slowly push himself off the counter and turned to face a smug and grinning Zim. For a moment Dib felt a stab of pain in his chest at the thought that this was all a ploy, but the heat in Zim's eyes was still there.

"Zim..." Dib began not even sure what he wanted to ask.

"Follow me, Dib," Zim instructed and turned around.

"Wait, why? Where are you going?" Dib asked still leaning back against the counter.

Zim looked over his shoulder at the confused human. "We are going to the mating chamber, where Zim will complete his dominance properly. After we are properly bonded, I will mate with you anywhere in the base you want Dib-thing. Until then I will entice you with my skills in the mating chamber."

"Oh," Dib said and with a flushed face followed Zim.

* * *

Dib stood in the chamber and looked around with several conflicting emotions within him. Zim had made some additions to the room since he had been here last. Sure Irken technology could make things quickly, but it was only two days later. Dib hadn't been back to his apartment in those as they had been busy with Zim's lab remodelment. It was only after they had finished moving the last item that Zim declared that they would have their next dominance battle and explained to Dib the proper way to declare a winner.

In that time, Dib didn't think that the room could be converted so quickly into what looked a BDSM dungeon… or a torture chamber as some designs looked very Irken and Dib didn't immediately know what purpose they could have. And looking at some of the sharp points, he wasn't sure he wanted to know.

While he had been okay with the idea of having sex with Zim being a little painful, he wasn't too keen on a full on torture session. His nerves and a very real fear of pain had Dib slowly backing up.

Zim had surveyed the room with an approving nod once they entered and he had been contemplating what he would use first. As he had said before there were several ways that humans mated and while he was interested in many of them, some human habits were disgusting. He had the computer make a variety of some of the more interesting items he had found on the internet thanks to the Keef-human's suggested sites. He didn't know what mating habits the Dib would want to partake in, so he just had the computer make them all. However, there were a few that Zim was highly interested in trying that mirrored some of the practices Irken matings had.

Since he had been basking in the arousal scent pouring off Dib, his antennae were already intune to the human and he quickly picked up the drastic shift in emotions. With a frown Zim turned back to see Dib's eyes darting around and looking at the more intense mating tools. Dib's scent began to reek with anxiety causing Zim to scowl.

"Dib, you have admitted that Zim is deserving of being dominant. I won," he approached Dib and hooked his finger into the waist of Dib's pants, making the human stop and lick his lips nervously as Zim loomed over him. "So why are you rejecting me now?"

"I'm not rejecting you," Dib said quickly wanting to appease the angry Irken. "It's just, um, some of those look sort of painful."

"My research said that humans can enjoy pain when mating," Zim said defensively.

"Yeah, well getting stabbed or sliced open isn't really my thing," Dib said in an anxious rush as he gestured in the direction of the knives hanging on the wall and what looked like a standing dissection table.

Zim looked to where Dib gestured and one antennae quirked up. "Dib, you do not wish to be inflicted with pain while mating?"

"No, I don't," Dib said firmly.

Zim made a face, "You don't want to use dookie do you?"

"What?! Gross! No! Zim, what the hell have you been reading?!" Dib said even more concerned and unsure now.

Zim looked relieved. "I have read all about human mating acts. Do not tell Zim that there is no such thing, I have _seen_ proof, Dib. Horrible, horrible, proof," Zim said and shuddered.

"Whatever you've seen isn't normal!" Dib said a bit of desperation to his voice.

"Zim has seen all the different ways human mate. They are normal to some humans, Dib," Zim said planting his hands on his hips and regarding Dib. "What does the Dib see as normal?"

"I don't know, light foreplay, touching?" Dib said getting more nervous. He eyed the door and wondered if he had any chance if he gunned it.

Zim frowned and looked up at the ceiling. "Dib wishes to be touched with the lights? Some lights can get hot and when applied to human skin cause burns. You said you didn't want pain."

"No, no," Dib said flustered. "Not like that, just touching and stuff. Like we were doing before."

"The fighting?" Zim asked.

"No, after that," Dib said growing more and more embarrassed as the conversation continued.

"Ah," Zim said in understanding. "The pleasurable touching-," he said and Dib nodded. "-while Zim holds you down. That is the light BDSM, so that's what Dib meant," Zim said looking pleased with himself.

At the second part Dib stammered and tried to correct Zim. "Yes, well n-no. Er, well, it wasn't _bad_ but…"

Zim watched Dib trip over his words as his face turned red and his scent spiked back up. Zim slid his clawed hand through Dib hair, making the human lose his words. "This is why you acknowledged Zim as dominant," Zim said simply. "Computer!" he barked, letting go of Dib and walking across the soft floor. "Remove sections three through seven, nine and ten," At his command several sections along the wall flipped around, hiding the items on them. A few of the wicked looking devices were similarly hidden and a wave to relief washed through Dib. Zim rummaged around in a drawer before exclaiming his victory and turning around.

Dib was stunned by the oddly affectionate gesture of Zim caressing his head. It wasn't until Zim turned around and Dib saw what was in his hands that he snapped back to awareness.

"Are those my sleeper cuffs?" Dib asked. "I thought I lost those a long time ago."

"No," Zim chuckled. "I destroyed that inferior Earth-suppression device a long time ago. These are Zim's superior movement-repressing restraints. See for yourself, Dib-thing, how superior Irken technology is," he said opening the handcuffs and holding them out for Dib to place his wrists in.

Dib rolled his eyes at Zim, but he did feel a lot more comfortable now that the truly dangerous looking tools were gone. Honestly this wouldn't be his first time in cuffs and he knew how to escape them in a pinch. He also couldn't deny the small zing of excitement as he held out his hands. Zim clapped them over his wrists and Zim stared down at Dib's wrists expectantly.

Dib tested their strength by trying to pull his wrist apart, they were pretty strong and all he managed to do was wince in pain as he felt a small sharp pain in his wrists. "Ow," Dib said and lifted his hands up to inspect the cuff closer to see where his skin had been pinched.

In the next moment Dib felt his legs give way as his arms lost all their strength. He was saved from falling to the floor by Zim's arm under his middle.

"Ha, finally," Zim said easily picking Dib up in his arms.

"Whaaa? Immm?" Dib tried to articulate but even his mouth felt numb to the point he barely had any feeling in it.

"I told you, Zim improved the movement-repressing device," he said carrying Dib across the room. "Don't worry, the effects wear off quickly. I cannot show you my superior dominating skills if you cannot feel anything, but it will give me enough time to do a few quick tests first."

Dib made an alarmed sound.


	10. Curing the Touched-Starved Sickness

**OH my goodness. I forgot to post this chapter. I am so sorry! But now the next one is ready so have two chapters at once!**

* * *

Zim could understand the human's distress, so he explained to reassure the human he wasn't doing the same experiments he threatened when they were enemies. "Irkens and humans mate in similar ways, but Irken bonding is complex and permanent. If we are to properly bond I need to find a way to replicate the bonding effects in you. So I can get the proper readings we will mate using this," Zim said carrying Dib over to a special contraption he had the computer make along with the other mating tools.

"I was going to wait to use this, but since we don't need to do any of those other disgusting human mating rituals, we can start now," Zim said and laid the human out on the specially made surface.

It's design was deceptively simple and had probably escaped Dib's notice as it just resembled a decently sized mattress lying on the floor. However, instead of fabric it was made of a soft plastic similar to silicon. Malleable and squishy the mattress dipped slightly with Dib's added weight, however it was firm enough to not sag completely to give them both the ease of movement.

Inside the mattress was the real genius of technology. While Dib slept over the past two nights Zim had run several scans on the unaware human. He wanted to quickly find a way to bond with him. While he increased his biological knowledge of Dib's body, he was still missing some key data. He needed chemical, scent and brainwave data of Dib's body in a mating state. So Zim created this surface that would allow for mating, while also obtaining the necessary data.

While Dib was still immobile Zim attached a thin band to each of Dib's wrists, around his ankles and another band around his forehead. The bands formed to Dib's skin and would help gather the data Zim needed without getting in the way of their mating. As a bonus feature, the bands could adhere themselves to the mattress acting as very effective bindings.

However, for the machine to get completely accurate readings, Dib would first need to be in a relaxed state, but still exhibiting the mating signs which was why Zim dug out the handcuffs he made a long time ago but never had a chance to use. The human was way too squirmy to relax and lie still on his own.

After all the bands were in place, Zim stepped back and using a program in his PAK and began the syronizing scan. Dib was still making slightly upset noises which was causing the scan to not proper sync.

"Dib stop your noise tube," Zim demanded. "We will continue mating as soon as the calibration is complete. I am simply collecting data on your inferior Earth body so I can find a way to properly bond with you."

Dib noises died down and finally the machine properly synched to Dib's body readings. Checking the system once more and finding everything in order, Zim climbed onto the mattress and removed the cuffs. The drug should be wearing off soon and they were not necessary anymore.

A twitch of Dib's fingers was all the warning Zim had before Dib's fist swung and landed a solid blow to Zim's head. The punch had been completely unexpected and Zim fell over.

"Zim already won! You submitted," Zim said accusingly and confused at Dib's sudden attack.

"I didn't agree to being drugged against my will, Zim!" Dib shot back and then looked around him and at the bands Zim had placed on him. "What are these?"

"I told you," Zim said grumpily sitting up. "They are to get accurate readings. I need more data before we can bond properly."

Dib pushed down on the weird surface they were sitting on. "Why didn't you explain that first?" he asked. He supposed he couldn't be too mad since Zim had only done this because he wanted a way for them to bond like how his species did, though Dib still didn't understand what he meant when he said bonds were permanent and made them unable to bond with others. However, a sudden horrible idea came to him. "You're not going to try rewiring my brain or something are you?" he knew Zim wasn't above that considering that one time with with Keef when Zim replaced the poor boy's eyes.

"I am still researching methods," Zim said but then pinned him with a hard stare. "But if anyone is going to rewire your brain meats it will be me," he glared at Dib, still a little upset that his human would allow another to mess with his mind.

Dib sighed. "You know I already called my dad back and left him another message." He'd called back not too long after their first mating, at Zim's insistence. Of course, he was only able to connect with the voicemail, but Dib didn't expected anything less.

"Hmph," Zim said still not completely satisfied. The idea of another stinky human poking around in _his_ human's brain was enough to set him on edge. Especially since he hadn't properly bonded with Dib yet. The human was his and he was the Dib's Hive, but the bond was different. It was permanent and personal, something that would belong solely to Zim. His PAK then reminded him of something very important, which brought him back to the necessity of this mating.

With a thought to his PAK, the bands on Dib's wrists activated and like a magnetic force latched themselves to the surface of the mattress. Dib let out a startled yelp as his arms were suddenly flung out and backwards causing him to flop back. Glaring at one wrist he tried to lift it off the surface of the mattress but found it was impossible, it was as sturdy as any metal restraint. The material bent and flexed with his wrists' movement, making it seem like some invisible force was holding him down instead.

Dib felt the mattress shift around him and snapped his attention upwards to glare at Zim as he loomed over him. However, any complaint he had fizzled out when he saw Zim's heated gaze. Zim's long pink tongue slipped out as his antennae fell forward. The black stalks twitched in the air and Zim's open-mouthed grin widened. Leaning forward, his antennae's light feathery tips brushed against Dib's forehead as the tip of Zim's tongue lightly dragged along Dib's lower lip.

Zim made an approving sound. "Yes, this is the scent," he said sitting back on Dib's thighs. He took off one glove then the other and flexed his naked claws in the air. Immensely pleased at Dib's scent and the submissive yet anticipatory look on his face, Zim gently placed his hands on the human's chest, lightly gripping his ribcage. If he wanted to, Zim could dig his claws into the human's ribs and tear the human open. His smaller self wouldn't have had the leverage or strength to do so, but now that he was taller such a feat would be easy for him.

To remind the human that Zim was superior and stronger and had won dominance due to this, he applied just the slightest of pressure to his claws, digging the points into the skin soft between his ribs. The human flinched at the pinpricks of pain as Zim broke the surface of the skin. However, the scent didn't diminish if anything if heightened.

Removing his claws, Zim watched as small droplets of blood pooled to the surface. For a moment it looked like small red gems adorned Dib's skin. One droplet broke and slid down Dib's side where it was absorbed into the surface of the mattress. A small _ding_ went off inside his PAK, audible only to Zim, informing him that one item off his checklist of required samples had been collected. He had plenty of Dib's blood on file and only needed data from any chemical changes in his blood during the various mating stages.

A second alert went off indicating that the brainwaves of this stage had been logged away, this was shortly followed by a third as scent data was gathered as well. Good. That meant he could proceed onto the next stage.

"If you could remain still and Zim could trust that your curious tendencies would stay in check, these would be unnecessary," Zim said tapping the bonds on Dib's wrists. "But last time your wiggly fingers found their way to my antennae."

"So does that mean that if I was unrestrained you would be worried about me regaining the upper hand?" Dib asked with a sly yet heated smile of his own. While Zim was stronger and won their physical fight, he was weak to pleasure and his antennae were his weakest points.

Zim scowled down at Dib and flattened his antennae against his head even though he knew Dib could not reach them. He hadn't meant to remind the human of his advantage in mating, but now that Dib said it he couldn't deny it. Dib _had_ won the last battle, while Dib was smaller he was also a Taller and his to-be-bonding partner thus Zim's equal as well.

"Yes," Zim hissed reluctantly. "Which is why in my superior genius I decided to pin down your hands to the side. I won dominance. You will be submissive," Zim paused as he thought. "However, for another mating session a continuous dominance battle does not sound bad." It would be thrilling in several ways.

"You don't want to try that now?" Dib said trying to persuade Zim into freeing him. Just remembering the sight and sounds of Zim as his body succumbed to pleasure was enough to arouse Dib.

"Nice try, Dib-thing," Zim grinned down at him and laid his hands on Dib's chest, spreading out his claws to cover as much of his chest as he could. Very purposely Zim moved one claw to circle around Dib's nipple without touching it. Dib sucked in air through his teeth and Zim felt his body tense in anticipation. Grinning, he did the same to the other side slowly circling without touching. His eyes intently watched Dib's face, as Dib watched Zim's hands.

Zim slipped his tongue out once more and slowly lowered to hover above Dib's chest. Dib watched with anticipation, but feeling Zim's gaze he shifted to watch Zim's eyes. They were so alien with deep pools of a dark pink, almost red. Even if there was no pupil Dib could tell that Zim was looking at him. God, Zim was beautiful. Dark, exotic and terrifyingly beautiful.

Zim flicked his tongue, drawing the human's attention back to the long appendage that wiggled just above his nipple. Zim was teasing him. Taunting him. Zim knew that those were sensitive areas he was torturing Dib with the sensations. Touching him enough to want more, and close enough that Dib could almost feel the sensation, yet delaying it.

"Zim," Dib said definitely not as a plea, but making sure his voice was more frustrated and firm.

"What is it, Dib-thing?" Zim taunted. "Is there something you want? Why don't you beg for Zim?"

"Gah," Dib laid his head back, but Zim didn't stop his teasing circling movements. Dib tried to shift around, but the restraints on his wrists pulled out tighter and the bands on his ankles locked into place as well, holding him in place. "You jerk," Dib growled out.

Zim chuckled, not at all phased by Dib's insult. Instead of giving Dib what Zim knew he wanted he ran his tongue along Dib's sternum up to his collarbone and traced it to his shoulder. Zim noticed that Dib had shifted his head slightly, most likely in anticipation of Zim traveling up Dib's neck. He knew from research that the neck was another area that was sensitive to touch, which is why he avoided it. Dib was still resisting. Zim wanted dominance. Full dominance over his mating partner's body.

"Human bodies are strange to Zim," he hummed barely able to contain the sadistic glee from his voice. "Dib-thing must inform me on what he would like Zim to do to his body. If you ask nicely, I may feel generous and indulge you," Zim said moving his claws to trace Irken symbols over Dib's chest. Zim had taught Dib basic Irken long ago, but he doubted the human was in any state to concentrate on the letters Zim was writing. It didn't matter, while he waited for Dib to give in he traced his name over and over on Dib's chest. He imagined his name in several places, but still the best spot was the left shoulder, right below the collarbone. On his collarbone there was a scar, one that Zim had caused when they were both much smaller. This one was the largest and stood out the most as it started at his shoulder and dragged across Dib's collarbone.

Zim remembered this one vividly. It had been a nasty fight in the rain. To gain the upperhand Dib had tried to damage Zim's uniform as much as he could. He had managed to take off one of Zim's gloves exposing his skin to the acid-like rain. In retaliation Zim had swiped his claw along Dib's shoulder. His claws were sharp lethal weapons and easily sliced through Dib's clothes and skin. Crying in pain, the boy had relented letting Zim escape. Dib never tried to remove Zim's gloves again.

In truth, if Zim had fought without his gloves Dib would have died long ago. However, the gloves were a part of his invader uniform and he had been told to never remove them. Now that he was a Taller he knew that the reason had nothing to do with the uniform and more to do with the privilege of being a Taller. Only Tallers were allowed the privilege of touch, skin-to-skin touch was something that was done only between mating partners, bonded and non. Smallers had no right to such pleasures, even if it was to defend in battle. The thrill of flesh touching flesh was something only the worthy deserved.

That Dib wanted him when he was a smaller only heightened Zim's pleasure. He vaguely remembered the feeling from that fight, while he had been very focused on surviving the rain and getting back to his base that particular injury had stuck out in his mind. At the time he had felt slightly ashamed that he had to resort to such primitive means to beat Dib, but now Zim relished in that memory. To the Taller him, it solidified the idea that only Dib was fit to be his bonding partner.

Lost as he was in his memories, Zim didn't notice Dib was talking to him at first.

"Damn it, Zim!" Dib growled out through gritted teeth, regaining the Irken's attention. The human's face was flushed and his scent was the perfect combination of arousal and embarrassment. "I said please."

Not willing to admit he hadn't been listening and thus missed the first time Dib had begged for him Zim said in a taunting tone, "Please what?"

"M-more," Dib mumbled, his embarrassment spiking but his arousal doing so as well.

"More what, Dib?" Zim asked feeling triumphant.

"T-Touching," he said not making eye contact with him as his face turned a brighter shade of red.

Zim hummed thoughtfully. "Zim is touching Dib a lot already. Where is Zim not touching that Dib would need to feel more pleasure? Here?" Zim asked moving to lightly trace his claws along Dib's arms. His claws left little white lines in their wake that slowly disappeared.

Dib's breathing increased and Zim felt him shiver. "Damn it, Zim!" Dib swore again. He wouldn't have really _wanted_ his nipples touched in the first place if Zim hadn't been paying so much attention to the area around them, thus drawing Dib's attention to the fact that they were sensitive. He remembered last time when Zim's tongue ran along his chest and neck. Dib remembered kissing Zim and taste of him and he wanted that again. If he was free he would just go in and capture Zim's mouth, or antennae, until Zim threw himself on him, but he was pinned and helpless to satisfy his body's growing needs and completely reliant on Zim.

Dominance. He hadn't really understood what Zim meant. He thought Zim just wanted to top, but it wasn't just that. Zim wanted control. Looking back, when Zim claimed that Dib had won Dib realized that while he had been more in control he hadn't gained full dominance. _Just wait until next time_ , Dib thought. Planning his revenge Dib let his pride take a hit.

"Neck," he said quickly. "N-nipples," he couldn't help the embarrassed stutter. "And kiss me damn it!"

Zim sighed loudly. "Dib-thing. Zim, has gained dominance. You must ask nicely, as the submissive one your only choice is to make requests not demands. Usually, I would be able to punish you, to remind you of who gained dominance, but since you are human and unaware of the mating rules I will let you try again. Now, would Dib like to make a request of Zim?" he said leaning over and grabbing Dib's head so he was forced to make eye contact.

Despite the soft and patient tone, Zim's expression was smug and arrogant. Dib glared at him and was about to retort back, when he remembered about Zim's comment on 'punishment'. The hidden tools on the walls came to mind and Dib swallowed. While his body was clearly telling him and Zim that he didn't hate this little power-play, he wasn't too keen on finding out what Zim's idea of punishment was… at least not yet.

"Please," Dib said and he saw Zim's eyes light up at the word and grow darker with lust. Staring into those eager pools Dib felt his resistance melt away. Zim wanted him. And while it was said teasingly Zim was asking Dib what he wanted. He should be thankful that Zim wasn't just relying on everything he had found online. He should be super thankful as Dib was aware of several kinks that existed. He'd traveled down the rabbit hole on the internet a few times while trying to confirm that his feelings had all been a phase. Some things he never wanted to admit to liking, others had him clicking away as fast as he could.

He couldn't deny, though, that being pinned down and touched by Zim was something that excited him more than being able to elicit those kinds of moans from Zim. Swallowing the saliva that had built up, Dib relented, "Please lick my neck."

"Good," Zim purred and decided to reward the human by doing just that. Leaning down he slid his tongue along Dib's throat and relished in the sounds Dib made in response. There was another reasoning Zim had for making Dib beg. Zim was aware that Dib was hesitant, that there was still some touched-starved sickness within him. He wanted Zim, Zim could tell from his scent yet he was holding back not fully giving himself over. There was still fear mixed with Dib's scent. A small amount that at times leaned more towards nervousness and excitement, which was good, but other times it lingered like a foul smell.

His PAK told him how other Tallers would fix the touch-starved sickness, should it still be at a treatable level. The mating partners usually would win dominance as the sick Taller wouldn't have the capability to hold that position. Zim was doing to Dib what a dominant partner of a sick Taller would do. Complete dominance was very important. In order to help rid of the sickness, the Taller would have to be completely dominated and their control over their own body taken away.

From there it was a delicate balance of getting the sick Taller used to touch, accepting of the sensation, and then making the Taller want more. The begging would assure that the sick Taller would remain submissive making the option of fleeing impossible. However, it was the duty of the partner to do exactly as the other asked. To give the sick Taller the touch their bodies wanted, to slowly give the other control over their body, to give them back their ability to dominate. However, this had to be done without letting the sick Taller aware of what was going on.

To accomplish this, knowledge of how to fix a sick Taller was hidden away in their PAKs. This information only becoming accessible to a Taller's mind if they should encounter such a mating partner. This knowledge came to Zim right after Dib had punched him and revealed that Dib had not adhered to the rules of mating by remaining submissive.

Zim grazed his teeth along Dib's neck, the sharp points of his teeth causing Dib to shudder and gasp. Zim could feel Dib's pulse increase as his tongue flicked along it and up to his jawline. Tracing the under size of Dib's jaw with his tongue he pulled back just as his the tip of his tongue left Dib's chin.

"Kiss me," Dib said his breathing irregular and his eyes heatedly staring at Zim's face, following the movement of Zim's tongue.

Moving closer, Zim paused just out of Dib's reach and stared at him expectantly.

It took a moment, as Dib strained in frustration then he focused on Zim's face and scowled. Zim grinned and Dib relented.

"Please," Dib said and before he could completely finish the word Zim pressed through mouths together. In this he let Dib take the lead as kissing was mostly a human thing. Tallers might lick and bite but this interlocking of tongues wasn't something Zim had been made aware of. However, as they kissed and their tongues slid together in and out of each other's mouth Zim found that this human ritual was one worth continuing in their mating sessions.

"Hands," Dib panted between them. "Let me touch you, please."

Zim was highly tempted. He enjoyed the way Dib's soft fingers trailed over his skin, but in order for this to be successful Zim had to remain dominant. Letting the human have his way in this was a good way for Zim to lose his control.

"No," Zim said pulling back. "Zim will be the one to do the touching. Would you like more touching here?" Zim asked as one claw very lightly grazed Dib's nipple. His spine arched into the touch.

"Yes," Dib hissed.

The sound was close to Irken and Zim chuckled. Deciding to be gracious Zim didn't make Dib beg. He moved his claws to tease and stimulate the senstive spots on Dib's chest. The human swore under his breath as Zim touched him. Slowly the hesitant scent dissipated and a thick scent of arousal filled the air. Zim indulged the human and brought their mouths together again and was pleased at how eagerly Dib responded to him. Dib's treatment was progressing nicely, it was time to go a little farther and prove his dominance over the human once again.

Pulling back, Zim let his claws trail down Dib's chest, across his abdominal muscles to rest at the waistband of his pants. Zim traced small Irken letters that spelt his name on the tight black material over Dib's hip bones. Through the form fitting fabric Zim could tell Dib was responding to his stimulation nicely. Of course, if he wasn't wearing his invader tunic it would have been obvious that Zim was responding to Dib as well.

Wearing the uniform was second nature to him, but in the back of his mind Zim was aware of a bitterness when he thought about his uniform and what meaning it now held for him. He made a mental note to himself to create a new uniform for himself later, one that didn't make him feel like he was being mocked. The more the thought about it, the more the pink tunic displeased him. Not wanting to be distracted by his thoughts Zim stopped touching Dib in order to remove his tunic. Balling it up he threw it across the room and felt both excitement and shame at his mistreatment of the nearly sacred uniform.

"Zim," Dib said his tone causing the ex-invader to look up. His eyes were still heated, but there was an understanding there as well.

As Zim's hands traveled down his body Dib had been captivated by the predatory look in Zim's eyes. When his gaze drifted downwards to the evidence on how Zim was making him feel and the smug look that appeared on Zim face, Dib still couldn't look away. So he immediately noticed when Zim's attention shifted to his own uniform. Zim's face contorted into a pained expression before his brow furrowed and Dib saw his all-too-familiar angry expression. He peeled off his uniform and with a look of disgust threw it across the room. Despite the apparent quick bounce back Zim had from the terrible news, Dib knew that such a betrayal wasn't something easily overcome.

He called out to Zim, wanting to remind the exiled Irken that he wasn't alone that he was there for him. "Screw them, Zim. You're better than them. You're free, you don't have to follow anyone's orders anymore. You can do whatever you want now. You're your own leader now," Dib said with conviction.

Surprise momentarily made Zim's eyes widen as he listened, then he smiled and gazed down at Dib with renewed heat. "Yes, I am," he said and leaned down to bring their mouths together. His long serpentine tongue slipped into Dib's mouth and slid against his tongue before suddenly thrusting deeply down Dib's throat causing him to gag. Dib was immediately worried that this wasn't going to end well, but Zim's hand reached up to tightened around his throat blocking off all air as well as ensuring that nothing came up either.

Despite the uncomfortable and almost painful sensations, Dib couldn't help but react when Zim simultaneously ground his hips against Dib. The squirming sensation Dib felt through Zim's pants only turned him on more. When his lack of air began to draw more of his attention than the feeling of their groins pressed together, Zim released his neck and pulled back leaving Dib gasping and coughing. Dib wanted to protest the treatment but Zim had moved to nip at his throat and a clawed hand slid down to grab him through his pants. Dib gasped and didn't mind the small nicks he could feel from Zim's teeth on his neck. It was going to look like he did a hack job shaving, but Dib didn't mind. Or he didn't mind until he felt an intense and sharp pain as Zim bit down hard on his collarbone.

"OW! Damn-ah, Zim," Dib gritted his teeth and hissed Zim's name. Right after biting him, Zim's hand squeezed him and began stroking him through his pants. Dib could almost feel Zim's tongue along the new wounds and it both irritated the fresh bite mark and soothed it as well. "The hell, Zim?" Dib finally managed to ask.

"I'll mark you properly later," Zim said after one last swipe with his tongue. He leaned forward to hover above Dib's face and grinned down at the scowling human.

"I thought we agreed no pain," Dib said glaring up and trying not to squirm too much as Zim hadn't stopped stroking him.

"I wasn't hurting you-" Zim said and Dib immediately gave him an incredulous look.

"-Like hell you weren't!"

"-I was claiming you," Zim said matter-of-factly over Dib's protest. "Until we bond properly no one else will dare touch you."

Dib blinked once. "No one would anyway!"

"And," Zim added squeezing Dib once before bringing his claws back up to the top of Dib's pants. "It is a reminder to you, Dib-thing, that you belong to me," Zim said as he touched the fresh bite wound on Dib's collarbone.

"Well, you didn't have to choke me," Dib grumbled and ignored the fact his lower half had no problem with the situation.

"I looked it up, lots of human like that," Zim said and moved that hand that was tenderly touched the bite mark to touch the bruises that were forming on Dib's neck. "Your skin is so fragile, there must be some way to improve your durability."

"No thank you," Dib said. "I told you I don't like pain and that includes almost being suffocated."

"Then next time don't reject Zim."

"I wasn't gagging on purpose! It's a reflex," Dib said. "All humans are like that."

Zim gave Dib a stern look. "Do not lie to Zim. I have evidence that plenty of humans do not react that way when using their mouths."

Dib blushed. "Yeah, well they probably have had a lot of practice at that."

Zim hummed thoughtfully. "So it requires practice?"

Dib paled. "No, well... yes, um. Well e-even with practice some people can't stop gagging," Dib said quickly not sure how he felt about the idea.

"Zim liked it," he said stroking Dib's face and slipping his hand into Dib's hair and letting his claws trail along Dib's scalp making the human shiver.

"Y-Yeah?" Dib asked.

"Yes," Zim purred leaning in close. "This kissing is like mating but with tongues."

Dib swallowed thinking about just that.

"Did you not want to do it again?" Zim asked. "Zim wants to."

"Ah, well," Dib swallowed. "Maybe if you go a little slower? And um, no choking."

"Slow?" Zim purred as he sat on top of Dib and shifted just enough to grind their hips together. "You want Zim to slowly invade you?"


	11. Cured

Dib's eyes widened then he leaned his head back and closed his eyes with a shivering sigh. "Damn it, Zim," Dib swore but there wasn't much weight behind the words. Zim peered at him quizzically. "You…" Dib began then opened his eyes and Zim grinned at the need he saw reflected there. "I can't tell if you are doing this on purpose or not. If you are, how the hell did you learn all this in just a few days?! And how are you so accepting of it?"

"Zim did not need to learn," Zim said guessing that Dib was referring to his mating knowledge. "When I became a taller this information was downloaded into my PAK's memory. I have access to all I need to know about mating, and I downloaded information about human mating from the human information network." Zim narrowed his eyes suspiciously at Dib. "You acknowledged my superiority and dominance, why do you still resist and not submit to Zim?"

"I want to," Dib said and looked over Zim. "Damn, I want to so bad, but…"

Zim frowned down at Dib and poked him in the chest. "You have the touched-starved sickness. You want Zim, but do not know how to want Zim. I know this, Dib-thing. I am trying to fix you," Zim said slightly irritated that his treatment wasn't being effective yet. "So shut up and give your body to Zim."

Dib chewed on his lower lip a moment as his anxieties began bubbling up. "It's just...maybe we should go a little slower. You liked what we did last time, right? Why don't you just let me make you feel good? You don't have to worry about me."

Zim glared down at Dib until a thought popped into his head making Zim just a little less sure of himself. "You…" Zim remembered how Dib stopped mating with him last time. "You do not want to mate with me?"

"No! That's not it," Dib said quickly sensing the deep hurt under the words. "I Do! I want that a lot! But, um, I've had a lot of time to think about all this. Years even. You just found out a few days ago. You might think you want me, but what if in the middle you find that it's not true? What if this is just a backlash from all those years of repression? I…I can't go through that kind of rejection again," Dib said softly realizing that despite everything Zim said he still couldn't rid himself of that fear.

Zim let out a huff of frustration. "Exactly, Dib-thing, you have had too many years of being a taller with no partner. I am trying to-" Zim suddenly cut himself off as a realization came to him. Hissing in anger Zim crawled over Dib to glare down daggers at him. "Are…" Zim began in a low threatening voice. "Are you comparing _Zim_ to that low and disgusting human filth that couldn't even look up the proper way to dominate his own partner?"

Dib felt the blood rush from his face and he remained silent as that was exactly what he had been doing and he was afraid to admit that to Zim. Unfortunately, Zim took his silence as confirmation. He narrowed his eyes to thin slits of a blazing deep pink. "I am an elite Irken soldier and a Taller, yet you dare to compare me to that inferior pig-smelly human worm baby like we're equals?!"

"No!" Dib said quickly knowing that was the only safe answer. "Of course not!"

"Lies!" Zim shouted making Dib wince. "You just said that you thought Zim would be the same as that _ergh-human!_ " Zim gritted his teeth and growled the word like saying it had caused him physical discomfort. "I am clearly superior! Irkens are superior to humans in every way. So why do you think mating with Zim will be the same as that _stupid_ human?"

Dib opened his mouth to deny it, but Zim's words suddenly hit home. With a start he realized that he _did_ think that. Why did he think that? Zim was an _alien_. He was nothing like a human and nothing like that other guy. Why did he keep thinking that Zim would behave the same?

"I… I don't know," Dib said frowning at his own thinking.

"Zim knows," he said sounding less pissed-off and more annoyed. With one claw he tapped Dib's forehead making him flinch at the sharp point. "It's because you have the touch-starved sickness."

"Yeah?" Dib said giving up about correcting Zim about this. Who knows maybe he did? In any case arguing with Zim about it didn't bode well for him.

"Yes," Zim said leaning back. He could tell Dib wasn't trying to resist anymore. "As your Hive it is my job to fix you. Usually the sick Taller is not told how the sickness is fixed, but Zim understands the Dib's brainmeats so I will tell you. Your body wants the connection with another taller, but your brainmeats are getting in the way and confusing your body. So, Zim is going to make you want touch so much that you are only focusing on your body's need for Zim and nothing else."

Dib let out a shaky, nervous and anticipatory breath as Zim leaned over him. "So, um, how are you going to do that?" Dib asked.

Zim ran his claws along Dib's chest, down his rib cage and over his stomach. Zim grinned as he felt Dib shiver under him and his antennae picked up Dib's mating scent once again. "How would Dib like Zim to touch him? What would give Dib the most feel good feelings?"

"K-Kiss me," Dib said flustered at his stutter. "And do that again."

"This?" Zim grinned and ran his claws along Dib's body slightly harder leaving little white lines along Dib's skin as he went. The scent in the air smelled so good to Zim's antennae that they leaned forward brushing Dib's forehead.

Since Zim was busy drawing on Dib's skin with his sharp claws he wasn't entirely paying attention to where his antennae were going. They were absorbing Dib's scent and they felt good so he didn't mind where they went. That was until he felt a warm wet sensation on one tip. The unexpected sensation had him crying out in startled pleasure. He collapsed on top of Dib and pleasurable good feelings flooded his system.

"Zim," Dib said his voice muffled around a mouthful of antennae. "Let my arms go, so I can touch you."

He shouldn't. He should get his antennae away from Dib. He should refocus his attention onto the human so he can cure his touch starved sickness. He should definitely not let the human's hands free so Dib could give Zim more of those good feelings.

Dib felt Zim shift and the tension in his arms was released as his wrists were freed. He still had the bands on, but now he could move his arms. Not wanting to miss this opportunity Dib immediately reached for Zim's antennae and messaged the stalks at their base.

Zim hissed and moaned as Dib rubbed the base of one antennae and sucked the other one's tip into his mouth, using his tongue to play with the flat end. Dib felt a zing of excitement run along his spine at the sounds Zim was making.

Dib didn't understand himself. At times he was reluctant, worried, and hesitant to keep going with Zim. The fear that Zim would ultimately reject him and thus breaking Dib's last lifeline to sanity was an all too real possibility. Dib wasn't lying when he said he was worried about Zim's desire for him being a result of his new biological functioning. His greatest fear was that eventually Zim would tire of him, that the novelty of his budding feelings would taper out and he wouldn't want him anymore. However, that wasn't stopping Dib now.

Part of his mind was sending him warnings, telling him to stop while he could, but he couldn't. Zim's reactions, the sounds and the feelings Zim was invoking in him were intoxicating. Touching Zim like this, how could he pass up the opportunity? Even if Zim eventually stopped desiring him maybe he would be able to survive by living off these memories. Also, there was the slight sliver of hope that Dib desperately clung to that Zim knew what he was talking about. Zim was an alien, how could Dib compare human relationships to what his people had? Maybe, just maybe, Zim (for once) knew exactly what he was doing. Maybe Zim really did want him in all the ways Dib wanted him. Maybe this was more than Zim's new alien hormones acting up. Maybe this was real and lasting. Maybe he could stop overthinking and for once just let his impulses take control.

Dib found his hands sliding down from Zim's head. He trailed them along Zim's neck and traced them along the edges of his PAK eliciting a shivering moan from Zim before he found Dib's mouth again and thrust his long serpentine tongue in and coiled it around Dib's squeezing it once then unwrapping to thrust down Dib's throat. Dib almost gagged, but managed to withstand it. Fortunately Dib didn't have to withstand it long as Zim pulled back and then turned his attention to Dib's neck, grazing his teeth along his pulse.

At the slightest of nips Dib gasped and his hands reflexively tightened their grip on Zim's butt. In the back of his mind, Dib noted that Zim didn't have much of one, but he was able to feel the tight and thin muscles under his skin. Despite his thin and seemingly emaciated body, Dib knew the strength those muscles had. Dib's actions had Zim's hips grinding harder against him, and Dib began to imagine how it would feel to have Zim's muscles work against him with more vigor.

Zim was so focused on the physical sensations of his body that he was momentarily confused when a small alert went off in his PAK informing him that the next samples of scent, brainwaves, and blood from his previous small wounds were collected. The confusion only lasted a moment before his mind caught up with him. Zim scowled at himself and pulled away to scowl down at Dib, the one responsible for him forgetting what it was he was supposed to be doing.

"What? What's wrong?" Dib asked and Zim could pick up the slight shift in Dib's scent as it went from aroused to worried.

In response Zim grabbed Dib's wrists and pinned them above Dib's head, sending a signal to the band to keep them secured once more. Dib's brow furrowed in further worry until Zim spoke.

"No more touching," Zim said firmly like he would when scolding Gir. "How many times must Zim tell you, your hands are too grabby and distracting."

"You seemed to like it though," Dib said in his defense as some of the worry scent lifted and a smirk appeared on the human's face.

Zim continued to scowl, unable to deny the human's claim. He _had_ enjoyed the human's touch, the _pleasure_ the human's hands and mouth delivered was nearly irresistible. It _was_ irresistible, which was how the human got free in the first place. Since it was Zim who freed him for his own selfish desires, he couldn't argue the human's claim, so he stayed silent and scowled.

"No more touching," Zim repeated instead and sat back on his heels to stare down at the human. His eyes fell to the obvious bulge in Dib's pants. If he had been wearing his human pants, it wouldn't have been as obvious, but in the Irken standard pants, the flexible and form fitting material made the human's interest in mating all the more obvious. It was time to move onto stage two of his assessment and collect the data and samples he needed to properly bond with the human.

Grabbing the top of the material in his claws Zim grinned as his actions drew Dib's attention to his own state and the human's face flushed in response. "Now it is Zim's turn to do the touching," Zim said as he slowly slid the pants down fully exposing the human. Not wanting them to be in the way, Zim pulled the pants completely off. Like a good submissive partner, Dib didn't struggle or fight back. Zim placed his hands just above Dib's knees and the human's scent became the perfect mix of arousal and embarrassment.

Dib couldn't help the slight trembling in his limbs. He was so hard and he wanted Zim to touch him so bad. Zim looked perfect. Beautiful. Exotic. Evil. Hot. That look in his eyes as he grinned evilly at Dib had him salivating. Dib wanted to grab him and kiss and touch the ex-invader all over, but instead he was held down and Zim was in full control of all the touching.

Zim's antennae twitched at the scent in the air. Good. This was very good. Just a little more and Zim was sure Dib would be ready to fully submit to him. Sending instructions to the bonds around Dib's wrists and ankles, Zim make they were pulled tight and taunt, leaving the human no room to struggle. Dib looked like he was going to complain so Zim forcefully shut his mouth by complying with Dib's earlier request and placed his own mouth against Dib's.

Their tongues tangling together, Zim rested his hips against Dib and slowly grinded against him. Zim had read that the human mating organs were sensitive, so Zim was glad that his Irken issued pants were smooth and had a texture that was a mix between Earth's silk and rubber. The main purpose of this fabric was to repel liquids so poisons and toxins wouldn't soak in and damage Irken skin, and the effect luckily ended up making the material soft and firm. Judging by the moans leaking out of the human's mouth, Dib was also enjoying the material's sensations.

The climbing scent and the strained twitching of Dib muscles let Zim know it was time to move on. Pulling back Zim leaned over the prone human and grinned down at the red flushed face of his partner.

"Would you like Zim to continue?" Zim asked leaning back and slyly trailing his claw from Dib's knee to up his inner thigh. Everytime he touched Dib, even if it was just a light graze from his claws, the human's reactions sent shivers along Zim's spine.

He didn't hate that he had to fix Dib's touched-starved sickness. It was actually quite thrilling to manipulate Dib's body into a pleasured state. It made Zim feel taller, dominant and wanted. Dib's scent, his uneven breathing, his impatient flushed skin was all because of Zim, for Zim. Dib wanted him. And Zim wanted Dib. Badly. He wanted to claim the human, make Dib his forever. He wanted something that only belonged to him. And Dib chose him. Dib only wanted him. Only Zim could make Dib feel as wanty as he did now.

"Yes, dammit," Dib swore at the edge of his tolerance. Zim kept teasing him touching him, but not nearly enough. All thoughts of hesitation were shoved way back in his mind. If Zim didn't start doing _something_ more Dib was going to go insane.

"Try again," Zim said grinning widely as he lightly poked the bulging part behind Dib's mating organ, commonly called by the humans online as 'balls'. Though Zim had no idea why, as it was only one part and not even round. Zim lightly grabbed the 'sack', momentarily annoyed with humans for over complicating things by having so many different words for the same thing. _Oh,_ Zim thought as he touched the 'balls', the name made a little more sense now.

Dib made a odd strangled noise, half-way between a hiss and a human word, though Zim had no idea what Dib had actually said. "Please!" Dib finally said clearly followed by a string of mumbled human curse words interlaced with a few threats to Zim.

Zim chuckled, finding Dib's mix of submission and defiance endearing. Dib was truly meant to be his bonding partner. No one could be submissive yet not submissive at the same time the way Dib could. He wrapped his hand around Dib's mating organ and Dib made a noise. Zim could feel Dib's muscles straining trying to thrust up, but unable to with the bands holding him taut.

Squeezing just a little Dib let out a string of sounds that were almost recognizable. "Damn, Zim," Dib finally said clearly. "Will you stop with the torture already?"

"Your scent and brainwaves are not sending out pain signals," Zim informed Dib in case he couldn't tell. "I am just fixing your touch-starved-ness. If you are experiencing pain it is because your body is confused. Hmm," Zim frowned as he thought. "Perhaps I will need to do more before you are ready for mating," Zim mumbled to himself. "If the sensations are prolonged enough, your brainmeats should realize that it is pleasure and not pain your body is experiencing."

"No!" Dib said quite clearly. "God dammit, Zim. I'm not confusing anything!" Dib said and flinched and made a slight noise as Zim's hand twitched at his voice, moving just a little but not enough. "I'm too hard, I need release."

"This is difficult? You wish to stop?" Zim asked.

"No," Dib ground his teeth in frustration. "I need to ejaculate," he said and couldn't help his face from turning red. "Either jerk me off, let me go so I can jerk myself off, or… or… fuck me, dammit!"

Dib scowled at Zim and watched as Zim's confused face melted into a sly grin.

"You bastard," Dib said realizing that Zim had known what he had meant to start with. Though there wasn't much heat in Dib's insult. If anything Dib was more aroused.

"Yes, I think you are ready now," Zim stated and let go of Dib. "That is if you remain a good and submissive partner, Zim will mate with you now." The tension on Dib's wrists and ankles went slack as he was released. Zim took out a bottle from somewhere, Dib didn't see where, and poured the viscous contents onto one clawed hand. Zim watched the liquid pour down and rotated his wrists so the liquid covered his entire hand. Dib watched as the stuff slowly solidified covering Zim's green hand in a glossy coating.

Zim wiggled his fingers in satisfaction. "This will prevent my claws from accidently shredding your squishy insides," Zim explained and trailed his pointed claw down Dib's thigh in demonstration.

Dib's eyes widened as what should have felt like a sharp point was instead blunted and left a wet slick sensation in its wake. Dib touched the wet slick line on his leg and was surprised when his fingers came away dry. "What is this stuff?" Dib said his scientific mind highly intrigued.

"A superior Irken product," Zim said haughtily. "Though it is far, far superior and not really needed by Irkens except for added external stimulation, it can be compared in its use, in your case, to Earth-made lubricant."

Dib jolted, and jerked his head up to watch as Zim coated his other claw in the liquid. He was not too ashamed to admit that his lower half twitched with anticipation.

Holding out his claws and scissoring his fingers, Zim leaned back to sit on his heels. "What position would Dib like to use for mating?"

"Uhhhhhhh..." Dib watched Zim's fingers move feeling slightly mesmerized.

When Dib didn't reply with words, Zim scowled in annoyance. "Either roll over onto your knees, or lift your hips or knees so Zim may have access to your male mating opening."

Dib looked back to Zim's face and autibably swallowed. Thinking about his options Dib hesitantly rolled over and onto his knees. He was highly aware that exposing his back to Zim was weird and his old instincts were screaming at him, but the mental image of the other two positions was a little too intense. He was pretty sure that he wouldn't be able to hold either position either.

It wasn't until he felt Zim's hand grab his ass did Dib realize that this was the position he had been in for his first experience. Briefly his mind recalled how the young man had done the same. He grabbed Dib and thrust in, not caring about the pain. Tensing, Dib prepared himself for a repeat of that piercing pain, but instead Zim began kneading him, smearing that wet-like substance all over his backside. Zim slid his bluted claws down Dib's inner thighs and one the way back up slid his fingers between his cheeks, up and over to slide along his lower back.

Dib couldn't help but shiver as one claw trailed up his spine to the back of neck. Zim bent over him, one hand wrapping around to grab at Dib's chin twisting his head back so their mouths could connect. At the same time, Zim grinded against Dib's ass. Dib jolted at the sensation realing that Zim had somehow made quick work of his own pants and his alien part was wiggling against him. The substance that Zim had rubbed on him making everything slick and Zim's body moved against him with ease.

After a few good tongue thrusts their mouths separated but Zim still only ground his hips against him, but didn't enter. Dib was starting to worry that Zim might not know what he was doing after all.

"Zim," Dib began panting a bit as Zim slid the hand holding his chin down his neck, to trace his nipple. "Shit," Dib shuddered at the sensation finding the wetness making him extra sensitive to Zim's touch. "Why are you just- _fffuuuuuaaaaaahhhhh,_ " Dib cursed and moaned at the same time as Zim's other hand wrapped around his dick and began covering it in that slickness, letting Zim's hand glide over him with ease. Needing more of that sweet, sweet friction Dib thrust back against Zim's hands and slapped his butt loudly against Zim's thighs.

The sound of wet skin slapping together had Dib turning bright red and he managed to stop and still his hips.

" _Tch_ ," Zim clicked in disappointment, making Dib look over his shoulder at Zim as he loomed over him. "Are you still resisting, Dib? Your brain should only be full of wanty needs of want for Zim," he said rubbing himself against him in one long slow movement before pulling back just enough to have the tip of his male part wiggling against his hole.

"Why aren't you just going in?" Dib asked.

"I need more data," Zim said and began sliding his hand up and down Dib' length again momentarily leaving Dib at a loss for words as the tall alien worked his shaft.

"Fuuu-for what?" Dib managed.

"I told you, for bonding. I need samples," Zim hissed next to his ear. "And if I give you pleasure first, the next part will be easier."

"You- _ha_ -want to get me off _faaah_ -first?" Dib was finding it increasingly hard to articulate as what Zim was doing felt so incredibly good.

"Mmm," Zim hummed in his ear as he picked up on the spiked arousal scent Dib was giving off. "Yes. Are you close to experiencing your pleasure peak?" Zim asked as he increased the speed of his hand.

"Y-Yeah, faster," Dib moaned. "A-Almost."

"Good," Zim hissed and pulled back slightly but the motion of his hand didn't stop.

Dib was too focused on the slick sensation of Zim jerking him off that he didn't notice Zim had changed positions to be not behind him but beside him.

It wasn't until he felt something small, cold and distinctly metal at his back entrance did he notice Zim's new position. Looking back slightly startled, Dib noticed the thin rod with a thin cord attached to the end. He couldn't see what the cord attached too, and it took a moment for him to figure out what Zim had planned. However, he realized it a fraction too late as Zim slowly inserted the rod while increasing the speed of his hand.

The rod was no bigger than a thermometer, so it didn't hurt, but Dib instinctively tried to jerk away. However, Zim's body was in the way and belatedly Dib realized that the bonds around his ankles and wrists had bonded themselves back to the squishy bed, hindering more of his movement.

Zim wiggled the rod around pressing the end against Dib's insides.

"Are you fucking anal probing me?!" Dib swore and bit his lip as it didn't exactly feel bad. Shit. It was actually sort of hot. He could feel himself getting close as Zim's slick hand hadn't stopped stroking him and the slight wiggling and pressure he could feel inside was stimulating.

"Yes," Zim answered. "Now, where is it?" Dib faintly heard Zim mumble and he pushed in the rod a little deeper, using circling motions to press that damn tip all round.

"What the hell are you looking fo-" Dib cut himself as end suddenly pressed against something that made his hips jerk. It was like a small jolt shot through his body and straight into his dick.

"Ah!" Zim said pleased. "There it is," he said and pressed the end against that spot firmly.

Dib realized what it was instantly, his prostate. With the end of the rod pressing on him from the inside and Zim's claws sliding along his shaft, the duel sensation finally reached a peak. Dib swore as he came in Zim's hand, the peak of an orgasm leaving him momentarily breathless and blank minded.

Zim shifted again, sitting back between Dib's legs. He lifted Dib's hips and began kneading him again. Dib lifted his head up and looked back to the Irken's who had his ass in his lap. Still riding the slight high Dib watched Zim slide the rod out and place in into a hole in the mattress.

"Are you ready to submit to Zim now?" Zim asked placing the tip of his claw at Dib's entrance.

Dib's eyes widened, "You're going to keep going?" he asked, though he could feel himself still half hard, so it wasn't that he was adverse to the idea. He had had his first orgasm given to him by another, and damn had it felt good.

Zim raised an eyeridge at him. "Yes, of course, I just needed to get the data gathering out of the way. Now we can properly mate," he wiggled his finger and inserted the tip of his claw inside, and Dib sucked in air through his teeth, not in pain, but because he could feel himself twitch. "I read that releasing once will help your body relax and accept Zim," he said and wiggled his claw in deeper. Seeing that Dib wasn't in pain and his scent was telling Zim the same, Zim leaned over Dib's back. He grazed his teeth along Dib's neck and let his antennae fall forwards to entangle themselves in Dib's hair. The human's silky strands felt soothing against Zim's antennae, the sensation very stimulating.

Dib swore in between his uneven breathing. Zim wasn't concerned about the language. He knew that humans used such words in a variety of situation both when angry and hurt, but also when excited or happy. From Dib's scent and the other sounds the human was making, Zim could tell that the human was not swearing from pain. Reaching a hand around, he confirmed that Dib was feeling good feelings. Zim stroked Dib's mating organ as he push his finger in deeper. His fingers were longer and thinner now that he was taller, not drastically so but still different from when he was a smaller. Wiggling one around, he could feel that Dib was losing more tension. This was good. His research showed that there could be internal damage if not relaxed and properly lubricated. The coating on his hands was taking care of the lubrication and as an added benefit the substance he used was a type of cleaning gel so Zim didn't have to worry about human germs.

"How does this feel?" Zim asked. His own organ was out and wanting attention and friction, but before he could claim Dib he had to deal with the touch-starved sickness.

"Weird," Dib said a bit breathy and surprising Zim. "It's weird and good?" Dib said like he wasn't sure himself. "It's weird… weird that you want to… that you're touching… _hah_ ," Dib swore once more making Zim chuckle. He found that spot with his finger and pressed the tip of his claw against it. Dib was close, but his brainmeats were still too active and getting in the way of Zim's plans. Dib should only be focusing on the feeling of wanting Zim, nothing more. Time to change tactics.

Zim increased the pace of his hand touching Dib's front before suddenly letting go while simultaneously withdrawing from Dib. Zim sat behind Dib and between his legs but didn't touch him. If overstimulating Dib was not enough to cure him, he would try the opposite.

After feeling the lack of touch and nothing more happening, Dib turned his head to look back at Zim. "Zim?" Dib asked worry lacing his voice.

Zim just grinned widely at him, letting the human know he was up to something. "You said it was weird so I stopped." With one claw tip Zim gently slid it down Dib's spine, starting from his hairline down to the very start of his backside. Dib twitched at the first touch and the sensation made him shiver. Zim shifted his claw to the side and trailed it over Dib's muscles and down his leg. With all his clawed tips he traced up Dib's outer thighs, across his hip bones, up his stomach and stopped at Dib's nipples. He traced the outline of one while rubbing the other with the pad of his finger. At this angle Zim's own member was lightly rubbing against Dib's lower back.

"S-Stop it already," Dib said through gritted teeth as he felt himself twitch. He wanted, needed, to touch himself or have Zim's oil slicked hands slide over him again. He was close, so close to release. This was nothing like he could have imagined, he'd never felt so aroused before not even in his weakest moments when he couldn't help but touch himself while thinking of Zim. Nothing in his imagination made him feel this way. Of course that was before Zim became taller, so all his fantasies usually had him touching Zim until the alien was a moaning mess, not the other way around. But Dib couldn't deny that being touched like this was exciting.

"Stop what, Dib?" Zim asked very close to his ear and not changing his movements.

Zim touching him was amazing, this felt good, but it wasn't enough. Dib needed, wanted more. "Stop torturing me."

"Torture?" Zim repeated in a mocking voice. "You are not in pain, how is this torture?"

"You-!" Dib glared at Zim over his shoulder. The ex-invader's smug grin did nothing to help his situation. "Just do it already!" Dib managed to say knowing his face was flushed.

"Do what?" Zim asked as he leaned forward to fully lean up against Dib, his own member squirming along Dib's back.

Dib could only imagine what it would feel like. Hanging his head Dib took at calming breath, though it didn't do much. His breathing was ragged from Zim's claws working on his now sensitive nipples, the touch keeping him on that cusp of pleasure. It was maddening. Dib ground his teeth in frustration. Zim had done too much homework, Dib felt like he was in a porno. What was he supposed to say '~put your big alien dick inside me~'? Screw that!

"Zim, either get on with it or let my hands go so I can finish myself," Dib ground out.

"Complete submission," Zim reminded Dib. "I won."

"What the hell does that even mean?" Dib said growing frustrated and embarrassed at being kept in this state. "I can't get much more submissive than being held down like this."

Zim sighed, dropping a bit of his smugness. Dib was so stubborn. Not that he minded though. "Either," Zim began moving his hands to let his claws trail along Dib's ribcage. "Use words to beg me to mate with you or," Zim said then shifted his hands to grip Dib's hips. "Use your body to submit to me and completely relax."

Now that Zim mentioned it, Dib felt that his muscles were tight and his entire body was tense. Mostly that was a conditioned response from his younger days. Not being on guard resulted in Zim getting the upper hand. Okay, so he could see where Zim was coming from. It would be hard for Zim to continue like this, and possibly painful for him too. Dib took a deep breath then slowly let it out as he eased the tension from his shoulders and worked down from there, doing his best to relax his muscles.

"Good," Zim praised slightly kneading Dib's hips with his claws. Feeling him relax Zim positioned himself behind Dib, ready to finally mate with him. As much as every instinct in Zim's body wanted to bond right at this moment, Zim held back. Before they could go that far he needed to do some research.

"Woah," Dib said feeling small and thin part just start to wiggle inside. "Remember to go-"

Zim's next movement cut Dib off as he quickly thrust forward until he was flush against Dib. Zim wrapped his arms around Dib and leaned over so his face could nuzzle against Dib's neck and his antennae could fully entangle themselves into Dib's hair. Zim exhaled against Dib's nape as all the sensations sped through him at once. Zim PAK legs popped out to help stabilize him.

Dib felt like he had the wind knocked out of him at the sudden movement, and it took him a moment to realize that he was okay, he wasn't even in any kind of pain. Zim's shape was much different from a humans and it seemed that the gradually increasing shape made for a quick, but painless entry. It was weird, that was for sure, but not painful as it had been last time he'd been in this position. And the way Zim was wrapped around him felt nice too, like a big hug.

Zim hadn't budged and Dib figured the alien was adjusting to the new sensations as well. "Hey, Zim-"

"Don't move," Zim cut him off, tightening his grip. His mouth was right above Dib's neck and Dib felt him open his jaw and place his sharp teeth against his skin. With just the slightest amount of pressure Dib's spine would be between his teeth. Dib froze and all things of horrible thoughts filtered through his mind when he felt how tense Zim was, that was until he spoke, pulling his teeth away, "I want to bond with you so bad," he said through clenched teeth. "I want to pull out and release my bonding organ and then completely make you mine, Dib," he said breathing his name out on his neck which was closely followed by a drag from his tongue, making Dib shiver.

Zim hissed in pleasure and straightened, adjusting his grip on Dib's hips. "Do you feel pain?" Zim asked using a great amount of effort to keep himself still.

"Um, no," Dib said cautiously looking over his shoulder.

Zim locked eyes with him and ground his hips against Dib, letting his organ move as it wanted. Dib flinched at the movement, but not because it hurt. Zim wasn't thrusting in and out, but rocking against him. He didn't need to thrust, inside his weird alien dick was doing all the moving for him. Wiggling around it was the weirdest sensation, until it pressed against a certain area and a jolt of pleasure ran through Dib. Out of the corner of his eyes he saw Zim grin widely and adjust himself so he was pressing more on the spot.

Dib let out a string of half formed curses. Damn, he was rock hard again. Shit. This felt good. Like really good. Resting on his knees and forearms, Dib tried rocking back against Zim wanting more motion and a harder rhythm. Zim slipped a clawed hand from his hip forward to wrap around his dick and Dib couldn't stop the noise that came from his mouth, somewhere between a sigh and a swear. " _Ffffuuuuuahhhhk,"_ Zim's hand still had that slick oil-like substance on it and it felt incredibly good as he slid his hand up and down Dib's shaft, moving in time with the friction being applied to that spot inside him.

"You belong to Zim," Zim said above him, his voice sounding strained and breathy. Dib might have wanted to argue this point on the grounds that this didn't mean he was going to be Zim's property, but then Zim lowered his head and nuzzled the back of his neck as his antennae buried themselves in Dib's hair. Despite Zim's new and larger body, Dib found the gesture to be kind of endearing. It made Zim's words seem more childish than dominering and in the back of his mind Dib just thought ' _same'._ At the moment, though, Dib was too focused on the physical sensation to articulate anything back.

He was close and Dib could feel that pressure building inside him. It built up until finally he jerked his hips as he came, the duel sensations of Zim stroking him inside and out causing the most intense orgasam DIb had ever experienced. While Dib's body froze up with the cresting pleasure, Zim kept grinding against him then hissed and his claws dug into Dib's hips pulling him as close as possible. Inside Zim kept grinding on that one spot until finally Dib felt him freeze up as he orgasmed as well.

Dib felt his body twitch with small aftershock sensations and he was suddenly exhausted, however restrained as he was, he couldn't do much but lean back into Zim's lap. He was pretty sure Zim was only being held up by his PAK legs as well.

When Zim pulled back and slipped out, Dib felt the tension of his wrists and ankles release and he flopped down face first onto the mattress. The high from pleasure was starting to dissipate and he wasn't sure he wanted to face Zim yet. What kind of expression would he have? His paranoid brain came up with several options that were not appealing.

Before Dib could work up the courage to look, or prepare himself to escape, he felt claws on his head turning him to look back. Zim hovered over him, looking highly pleased with himself. Dib felt his own ips twitch with a small amused smile as all his anxieties melted away.

"What are you so smug about, space-boy?"

"According to my scanners your pleasure receptors receive MAXIMUM input," Zim said shouting the one word in a very Zim-like fashion.

"Yeah?" Dib said feeling his face flush and rolled to his side, feeling just a little too embarrassed to keep his bare ass pointing up at Zim. "And what about you? You were panting pretty heavily too you know."

"Yes," Zim said still grinning and not the least bit ashamed. Withdrawing his PAK legs he flopped down next to Dib and stretched his long limbs. "I now understand why only tallers are allowed to have such skin contact. I am truly worthy of such feelings."

"Yeah, you are," Dib said, happy that the invader looked truly happy.

Zim turned his head to study Dib's face he then sat up and looked over Dib's body, making Dib feel a bit self conscious but there wasn't anything he could cover himself with. So he begrudgingly sat up and tried _really_ hard to not be bothered by Zim blatantly staring at his crotch. Which made Dib notice that Zim's had retreated back inside.

"Human bodies are so inefficient," Zim said. "Your mating organs don't even retreat properly. Why bother trying when it doesn't help protect them? Doesn't it get annoying just hanging there?"

"I don't know," Dib said his face flushed and he covered himself with his hands. "It's just how humans are, you just get used to it."

Zim stared thoughtfully. "I could-"

"-No." Dib said very firmly. "Whatever you are thinking, if it involves anything with you experimenting, altering, or doing anything _medical_ to my junk, the answer is no, _hell_ no."

"Fine," Zim said a bit huffy at being shot down before he could even share his ingenious idea. "Keep your floppy mating organ out and exposed."

"I will thanks," Dib said tartly.

Zim jutted out his lower lip in a grumpy pout, then he glanced down at Dib's strategically placed hands. "When do you want to fight for dominance again?"

"Again?" Dib blanched. "Uh, I'm um pretty exhausted, you know? That felt really good, but it was pretty intense too. When, um, would you be ready?" He asked nervously.

"Intense?" Zim repeated, looking a bit confused. "The sensations of a mating are very pleasurable and can easily override the PAK filters, but we haven't even bonded yet. But don't worry, Dib-thing, with all this new data my genius will find a way to allow you to bond with Zim."

"Um, I'm kind of getting the sense that 'bonding' is more than just a commitment thing. Isn't it similar to a human marriage? Like a ceremony to promise to only mate with each other, but like written in blood or some other weird Irken tradition?" Dib asked.

Zim scoffed. "A bonding is nothing like your pitiful human ceremony. A bonding is permanent. It cannot be undone. If either bonding partner mates with another, they and the one they mate will die."

Dib rolled his eyes. "There's no need to be so dramatic. Basically Irken laws says that instead of having to share half their stuff they are sentenced to death? How very Irken," Dib mused.

"No, Dib-thing," Zim scowled. "It has nothing to do with Irken codes. Once an Irken Bonds with another Irken they will be unable to mate with any other Irken. If they try, or another Irken tries to mate with them, the toxins would kill them both."

"Toxins?!" Dib's eyes widened and he glanced down at himself. "Did you poison me with your stupid alien jizz?!" Dib felt his stomach as if trying to feel though to his insides, but he didn't feel like anything was liquefying.

"Now who is dramatic, Dib," Zim said crossing his arms. "We only mated. I did not use my bonding organ, though I greatly wanted too. I still need to find a way to let you bond with me as humans only have one mating organ."

Dib stopped panicking about having his intestines melt inside him, but Zim words just had him staring. "Um, what do you mean humans only have 'one'. How...how many do _you_ have?" Dib said trying to keep his voice from squeaking.

Zim held up two fingers, "One for mating and one that comes out only when Bonding. The first time a Bonding occurs that organ releases an anti-toxin that will integrate into the body and negate the toxins released from mating from that point forward. However, the anti-toxin becomes toxic when it comes in contact with any other Irken's mating fluids. Before we can properly Bond, I need to find a way for you to Bond back with me."

"How do you know you won't just poison me regardless?" Dib asked and he felt it was a very reasonable question.

"I am your Hive, you are mine. I won't poison you," Zim said as if that was the most obvious fact.

"Ah, um, thanks," Dib said not knowing how to explain his very clearly obvious worry. "But I _am_ human and maybe that anti-toxin won't be enough for me."

"Alone no," Zim nodded. "That is why you must also Bond with me. Your anti-toxin released into me will also make mine less toxic to you, as mine would make you less toxic to me."

Dib held his head in his hands, "I don't know why I'm so surprised. So basically when Irkens marry they poison each other and make it so their partner is the only one with the antidote so there is no way the other could cheat. Till death do you part sounds much more intense now."

"Yes," Zim said. "Bonding is very important. Not all Taller Irkens have Bonding partners. Some chose to mate with several different Irkens without ever bonding once. But a Bonded pair strengthens the Hive. I will be both your Hive and Bonding partner. Only you Dib," Zim said and ran his claws through Dib's black hair.

Dib lifted his head and was surprised to see an almost affectionate expression on Zim's face, but it only lasted a moment before Zim pulled his hand away from Dib's hair and it came back with some loose strands on it. Zim made a face and wiped his hand on the mattress, but the slick substance on his hands made it difficult to wipe off. He popped open his PAK to let the legs out, they easily lifted him off the mattress and onto the floor. Walking over to a section of wall Zim pressed a button and a door opened.

"Come, Dib, there is a cleaning chamber. I am tired of being covered in all these _disgusting_ fluids and mating gel. We shall clean, then you may rest while I be a genius and find a way for your inferior Earth body to Bond with my superior self. After you are rested and put foods in your body we can battle for dominance again." Zim grinned widely at Dib. "I will not lose. Now that your sickness is cured by my being amazing and I do not need to collect data I can show you my superior knowledge in all your human mating acts."

Dib glanced around at the objects still hanging on the wall and gulped. He was very glad that his body was too spent to get hard again. He also really wanted to be clean and put a pair pants on so he hurriedly crossed the room towards Zim and the cleaning showers. They had a lot to discuss. Dib wanted much more information about Zim's anatomy and this 'bonding' because he sure as hell wasn't going to let Zim experiment on him. Dib also had a sudden urge to do some intensive strength training. If he won, it would only be fair that he could use some of those items on the wall too.


	12. Screens Of Eternal Shame

**Hey all! I created a Discord to talk about my stories and connect with all of you, as well as a place to talk about the fandom and share your own art and stories! Check it out! I might even host special events there sometimes! I am much more active there and it is SO much easier for me to respond to all of you!**

 **For the link go to my Ao3 author page, it is listed there. I go by the same name there.**

* * *

Dib let out a long and tired sigh after hanging up the phone. The cold sweat that had been dripping from his body was making him uncomfortably chilly. Before going back to Zim's place he wanted a hot shower.

Never again would he ignore his agent's calls. She was a terrifying woman, on par with Gaz. He had just barely convinced her not to come over and kidnap him and lock him in a hotel until he began writing again. His last message that he was going to quit the Mizzy series had scared her senseless and while he did leave a message negating that, apparently she never received it.

When he finally called back after seeing her numerous messages, he had instantly gone cold at the tone of her voice. She didn't scream or yell, she was eerily calm, chipper almost, and it was terrifying when she threatened him in specific and grisly ways. Dib stumbled over his words trying to explain himself and ended up both coming out of the closet and admitting to starting a new relationship. It wasn't until, oddly enough, that he mentioned Zim's name that she calmed down.

" _His name is Zim?"_ she asked in a slightly curious tone.

"Y-Yeah, he's an, um, old childhood friend," Dib said hastily.

" _Zim,"_ she repeated, her voice still sounding as hollow and terrifying as death's eye sockets. " _I see. Well, then I expect a new chapter of your next novel for editing no later than Friday, three days after New Years. I am being very considerate in lieu of that fact that you have started a new relationship with this_ Zim _. New Years Eve is a fun holiday for couples. Enjoy it. Then write like your life depends on it. Because it does."_ She then promptly hung up.

He wisely didn't tell her what his New Year's plans were. Dib rang his hand through his hair and decided to shower before going back to packing. It was early morning on New Years Eve, and he had to have all his stuff packed by the end of the day. Zim left no room for argument as he wanted Dib to move in a.s.a.p. Apparently, it was Zim's duty as Dib's Hive to be around him as much as possible and having Dib live separately was a concept that baffled the Irken.

They almost got into a fight when Dib mentioned going back to his apartment. Zim thought Dib was rejecting him before they could ond and Dib had no idea that Zim had assumed that Dib would live in his house now. Really, how could Zim think that Dib would assume that? When that came to light Dib was equal parts shocked and touched. Of course he agreed, but he had to go back and pack. Reluctantly, Zim let him go and said he would work more on finding a way for them to bond.

In all honesty Dib liked how things were currently. He wasn't too keen on being involved in some weird Irken ritual that involved poisoning each other, however he knew that it was somehow incredibly meaningful to Zim. It just goes to show how far he had fallen for the invader that Dib was seriously considering consenting to this poisoning ritual. However, once Zim had a plan _he_ was going to thoroughly go over Zim's data. Zim might be fine experimenting on himself with a 25% death rate, but Dib sure as hell wasn't.

After a quick shower Dib went back to packing. He was sure his agent wouldn't have been so lenient if she knew he was spending his New Year's Eve like this. Dib was indifferent to the holiday. He'd never gone out like others did, instead he usually had a drink and quietly watched the ball drop as he reflected on the past year. When it neared midnight he planned on taking a break if he wasn't done to watch the ball drop. Dib guessed he could get at least all his smaller items packed by tonight. For the rest of his stuff he would probably need to rent a truck, but before that he'd have to work with Zim about having the computer make a real room for him and not the closet in the lab.

Taping another box closed and labeling it in black sharpie, Dib moved on to the next methodically moving along. Finally he finished with the last box and stood. He was surprised to find that it was only 10pm. He'd finished much earlier than he expected too. Seeing no reason to loiter around longer than necessary, Dib packed up his car with the few boxes that were full of items he used daily and most of his clothes, then he made his way back over to Zim's house.

He parked in front of the house so he could unpack before moving his car. It was going to snow again and he needed to find a parking spot that wasn't on a parking ban issued street. In front of the house Dib saw Gir rolling around in the snow surrounded by small pig-shaped snowmen.

"Hi, Mary!" Gir squealed and came running to him. Over his dog costume he wore boots, a black winter hat and matching mittens with a bright teal scarf.

"Gir, what are you doing outside so late?" Dib asked. It was well past dark and while the yard was brightly illuminated with a flood light, it was still strange to see Zim's minion playing outside in the snow at 11pm.

"After things went explody, Master told me to go outside and roll in the snow," Gir said cheerfully. "I'VE GOT MITTENS!" he screamed excitedly holding up his arms.

"Ah, so you do," Dib said with a strained smile. He long ago stopped trying to figure Gir out or how he worked. The robot had no thumbs, yet the thumbs of his mittens wiggled when Gir proudly showed them off. Gir must have got into one of Zim's experiments and was banished outside while he cleaned. Knowing that Zim would be in a foul mood Dib decided not to bother him. "Okay, well, have fun making your, er, snowpigs."

"I'M MAKING BABIES!" Gir shouted as he ran around Dib then went back to rolling on the snow.

Dib brought in his boxes himself, knowing better than to ask the robot for help. Once they were all inside and neatly stacked next to the door, Dib went to move his car into a safe spot. When he came back there were a great many more snowpigs and Gir sat in the corner of the yard talking to a squirrel that was perched on top of one of lawn gnome's head. Gir had made a snow-pig next to the gnome that was sitting and sipping tea. The teacup and even the out-stretched pinky of the pig were all made of snow. Dib hastily went inside. He often felt that if he watched Gir too long he would actually go insane.

Inside the house Dib was surprised to find that his boxes were gone.

"Um, Computer?" Dib asked directing his voice upwards. "Where did all my boxes go?"

The computer gave a long sigh. " _I was ordered to move them into your living space._ "

"Oh, thanks," Dib said pleased he didn't have to personally move all his stuff to that closet. Maybe he could ask the computer to move all his stuff into his new room after he convinced Zim to make him one. "Where's Zim now?"

" _He's doing… research in the lab,"_ the computer said with a slight pause and it almost sounded like the voice shuddered.

"Oh, can you bring me to him?" Dib asked. Midnight was only 30 minutes away, maybe he could convince the Irken to watch the ball drop with him if he offered to make hot chocolate. Though he didn't mind either way. If Zim still needed help cleaning up after Gir Dib didn't mind missing the ball drop either.

There was a long pause before the computer answered. " _...Sure."_ The refrigerator opened and Dib stepped inside, letting the computer take him to the area of the lab Zim was in.

Dib hopped out of the elevator and could hear noises from the back of the lab. Heading that way he saw a side door open with the soft flickering light belonging to a screen pouring out. As he neared he began to pick up on the sounds more clearly, and they had him stopping in his tracks.

 _Is… Is Zim watching porn?!_

Feeling weirdly like he was intruding and not wanting to embarrass Zim (because if the situation was reversed Dib would certainly be mortified) Dib slowly and quietly began backing up. That was until among the multitude of sounds he heard:

" _Fuahhhhck...Z-Zim..."_

Dib never ran so fast as he bolted into the room, his panic being fully justified. Zim sat in a hovering chair his back to Dib. On the numerous screens in front of him were various videos of the two of them having sex from all kinds of angles and in the various areas all around Zim's base. There was an x-ray version, a heat camera version and he wasn't sure he wanted to know how Zim got that internal video. There was even one split screen with a 3D rendering of them copying the real video next to it. The 3D version kept switching to a see-through version that was showing where all their muscles and organs were.

Dib saw more of himself than he ever thought was humanly possible.

He grabbed the back of Zim's hover chair and like a pro hammer thrower from the Olympics, hurled the chair with its startled and screeching occupant through the doorway and careening out into the lab.

"Turn it off! Turn them all off!" Dib yelled his face flushed the deepest shade of red.

" _Ugh, gladly,"_ the computer said as the screens all went black.

Once the Screens of Eternal Shame were shut off he went after Zim. His chair had pinballed around the lab tables and ended up crashing into the far wall dumping the stunned Irken onto the floor.

"Dib, what's the meaning of this!" Zim said holding his head and getting to his feet after a bit of a wobble, it took a second more for the room to stop spinning. Initially he thought the perpetrator had been Gir, but he was more angry to find out that it was Dib.

"What's the meaning of this?!" Dib repeated a bit hysterical in his mortified state. "What the fuck is the meaning of _that_?!" he said gesturing wildly towards the room behind him.

"I'm doing research," Zim said simply. "It is your actions that have almost turned my spooch to jelly!"

"Research for what?!" Dib flailed around. "I can't believe you've been filming me, us, this entire time!"

Zim paused in his anger, confused by Dib's odd behavior. "Dib, my base is constantly under supervision. Also I told you I needed to do research to find out how to bond. I have created an agent to act as the bonding toxin, but I need to figure out a way for your body to bond with me."

Dib pressed his lips together as he tried to control his internal freaking out. Taking a deep calming breath he continued. "I think you need to sit down and fully explain this bonding to me."

Zim glared at him, still a bit grumpy about being thrown around his own lab. "Fine," he said picking up his chair and gliding it back into the room. He sat back down at the computers and opened a screen, luckily it wasn't still playing the same footage as before. However, it was displaying a rendering of a naked Zim.

"All Irken males have two mating organs," Zim explained not phased at all by the naked picture of himself. As he spoke he typed into his computer and the image zoomed in closer and turned to the side as Dib got an internal side view. Zim pointed to an organ that Dib was intimately familiar with, but instead of fully extended it was curled up and tucked inside a pouch. "This is my normal mating organ. It holds no toxins and is used for un-bonded mating. Here," Zim pointed to what looked like a second and skinner penis tucked up in a second pouch at the base of his first one. "This is the bonding organ," he said and typed into the computer. In the image the first organ expanded and came out.

"When we bond, both organs will emerge," Zim said and the second one extended out and staying skinny it entwined around the larger one until the tips aligned.

Dib watched and tried not to blush or stare too hard. He made smart sounding 'hmm's and 'I see's as Zim explained.

"An Irken only has one chance to make a bonding partner," Zim explained. "The first time the bonding organ is used, it will inject an anti-toxin into the bonding partner." As he said this the skinny organ's tip shrank back slightly to show a sharp needle-like point. "The anti-toxin will be released and it will dissolve in the bonding partner's body." In the simulation the short needle, shot out and Dib no longer had trouble controlling his blush, he was quite pale now.

"After that, every release will contain a toxin that is deadly to any Irken that is not the bonding partner," Zim said all matter-of-factly.

"You will shoot needles e-every time?" Dib said trying not to freak out.

"No," Zim scoffed. "Only the first bonding needs to be injected directly into the bloodstream. The toxins released for every other mating only need to be released normally. Those toxins will bring mating to a new level. I've heard that the bonding organ will release early in order to fill the partner with the toxin."

"And this is good?" Dib asked incredulously.

Zim nodded, not picking up on Dib's tone. "Yes, the pleasure the toxin can invoke is extraordinary, or so the information says. I have created a toxin that will react with me as well as react with my anti-toxin in your body, but the issue is the delivery system.

"With two male partners, the receiving partner will keep his bonding organ tucked back and the dominate one will push into the pouch. The receiving male will then use his bonding organ to slip past and inject into the dominate organ's base, while the dominate one will inject his anti-toxin into the pouch of the bonding organ.

"After the first mating the receiving male will mostly use his bonding organ to wrap around and aid in the release of the invading organs. The issue is that humans have no secondary bonding organ, so there is no way for you to inject your anti-toxin into me. But I think I will be fine injecting my anti-toxic directly into you when I dominate."

Dib stared numbly at the screen. "So…" Dib dragged out the word trying to wrap his mind around the new information and not freak out in the meantime. "Basically, two Irkens will take their second dicks, equipped with some bee stinger tips and sting each other. But instead of a venom it injects a cure and from then on they just cum like normal, however if they mate with anyone else it will just send them into anaphylactic shock."

"Irkens are nothing like bees!" Zim said completely offended. However, he didn't deny Dib's summary.

"Can I see the data you have about the toxin you made?" Dib asked. Before he worried about Zim's alien bee-dick, as he would now forever refer to it, he wanted to make sure that Zim wasn't planning on injecting him with something that _would_ send him into anaphylactic shock, if not just straight up poison and kill him. Wouldn't that be a kicker?

"Yes, yes," Zim said used to Dib wanting to go over all his research on his projects even when he knew they would work perfectly fine, thank you. "This way," he said leading them out back into the lab and over to his work bench.

It turns out that Zim did a pretty through job of creating the toxic/anti-toxin. From the various samples Zim had of his DNA-Dib decided not to think too deeply on how he got them-it seemed that the substance Zim created wasn't going to kill him. And since Zim wanted Dib to stick around, Dib wasn't worried about Zim purposely poisoning him. The method really was the only thing left to figure out.

"And why can't you just inject this stuff into my bloodstream-through a vein in my arm," Dib added when Zim opened his mouth, probably to say that's what his bee-dick was going to do.

"Dib-thing," Zim rubbed the space between his eyes, losing his patience. "You being injected is not the issue. My mating organs will accomplish their jobs perfectly."

"Okay, then I don't see why I need to poison you. You're giving me your anti-toxic with your bee-dick so I'll be fine," Dib said.

Zim gasped, insulted, then narrowed his eyes at Dib. "I thought I told you to stop calling it that! It is a sophisticated organ for bonding, it has nothing to do with the -ugh-bees!"

Dib kept silent, a moment. He was not willing to stop calling it that so he ignored Zim. "So why do I need to inject you?"

Zim made a frustrated noise. "Because, if I do not receive your antitoxin my body will automatically reject all other mating fluids and _actively_ try to poison you and me."

"Okay, so how will this work? Do I need to inject you with the anti-toxin each time we have sex, since, oh you know, I don't have any Irken organs." Dib said sardonically.

Zim was growing frustrated with Dib's lack of understanding. "No, afterwards the secondary organ is used to enhance the mating experience, but it will poison anyone who dares to mate with a previously bonded Irken. Even if the second mating organ is not used, our bodies will be saturated with the toxin becoming poisonous to all other partners."

Dib stared at Zim. "Wow, Irkens really don't like to share. So even if you break up or your partner dies you can't have sex with anyone else."

"Bonded Irkens do not 'break up'," Zim said crossing his arms. "They do not separate for the rest of their existence. And yes, the other will belong only to them even after death."

"Zim," Dib said slowly. "How long do Irkens live?"

"Hundreds of your Earth years, why?" Zim asked.

"Maybe we should re-think this. Zim, humans will live _maybe_ one hundred years if they are really lucky," Dib said.

Zim turned away and went back to his computer. "I know," he said quietly. "I will figure out something before you expend too much of your lifespan."

"What do you mean 'figure something out'? Zim, this is serious. I can't bind you to me like that years after I'm dead, knowing that you'll spend hundreds of years by yourself after that."

"You are _not_ dying, Dib," Zim snarled and grabbed Dib's shirt.

"I don't _want_ to, but it's not like I'll have a choice in that. You can't cheat death, Zim," Dib said.

Zim let him go. "Not with your inferior technology, no," he said and turned back to his screen going over his bonding research.

Dib grabbed his shoulder this time and spun him around. "Explain. What do you mean? What are you planning?"

Zim pressed his lips together, deliberating. "I can extend your lifespan."

Dib froze. "H-How?"

He removed Dib's hand from his shoulder and turned, pointing to his pak. "After I was banished, I hacked into the Irken information system trying to find some sort of evidence that it was all a prank from the Tallest and if not to find some way to get myself back apart of the Empire. I was...unsuccessful. However, I did stumble upon some interesting ancient Irken documents. Most of it was full of corrupt and heavily encoded data, but I did find something interesting, well at the time it wasn't but recently I was reminded of it again and I have been looking into it and decoding the information a little more."

"What did you find?" Dib asked.

"Rudimentary pak blueprints," Zim answered. "And a little information on ancient Irken ancestry. Originally Irkens were not quipped with paks there was a time when Irkens were all organic," Zim said as if this was shocking news.

Dib rolled his eyes, "Of course, no one is _born_ with computer parts attached to them. Logically there had to be a time when Irkens didn't have them."

"Yes, but well," Zim said a but put out that Dib wasn't as shocked as he had been by this information. "Before paks were created the average Irken lifespan apparently wasn't much longer than your human one."

Dib's eyes widened as the implications clicked into place. "You think that you can create a pak for me that will extend my life to match yours?"

"Of course I can, I am ZIM!" he said with bravo. But it didn't last long. "But, it will take a long time to perfect the technology. New paks are rarely made. When an Irken dies the data of the Irken it once belonged to is uploaded to the collective and then the pak is wiped and installed on the next newly cloned smeet. So making one from scratch will take some time. The materials are quite rare, and the internal systems quiet complex."

"Oh, good," Dib said not ready to think about the ramifications of extending his lifespan. "I'm still young, you know. I won't die on you. We've got time to figure things out and I'm here to help as well."

"Yes, for a human you are surprisingly competent," Zim said. "And if I can replicate the Irken bonding experience using Irken technology in your body, this research will be invaluable in creating a pak that will be compatible with your squishy body." Zim said poking Dib in the side.

Dib frowned. "Did you just call me fat?"

"No," Zim said giving Dib's body a once over, "Just full of organs."

For a moment Dib thought about being offended, but then looking at Zim's inhumanly skinny body he had to admit that Zim had a point. Zim certainly didn't have all the complex organs that Dib did. Dib took a deep breath and resigned himself. Doing this bonding properly now had a much greater meaning. This was their first test to see how his body responded to Irken technology. And if he took an active role in this he could steer Zim in a direction that he could accept. No matter what he was NOT going to let Zim mess around with his organs.

"Alright, so what can I do to help with this bonding thing? We...we need a delivery system, yeah? Any ideas?"

"Yes, actually, but since it is your squishy body maybe you should have some say in the final design," Zim offered.

"Oh, hell yes I will," Dib said pleasantly, but very very firmly. "Let's see what you've got, space-boy."

It was well into the new year and Zim was still working on the technology to control the toxins he would be introducing into Dib's body. If Dib didn't know about the importance of this to Zim personally, and how important it was to their _long_ term relationship Dib would never have agreed to this. Because of the _delicate_ nature of the design and the technology involved after deciding on what to create it took Zim several more days to finish and perfect the completed product. In that time it wasn't like Zim was working on it around the clock. Dib also had to move the rest of his belongings into the new room that Zim had surprised him with.

That night they also took advantage of the new mattress Zim had the computer create for Dib's bedframe and with the home team advantage Dib won at their battle for dominance and was finally able to enact a little revenge as he secured Zim's wrists to his bed frame. However, he made sure Zim wasn't too grumpy about it. In fact by the end of things, Dib thought Zim looked very satisfied with, as he put it, Dib's 'worship' of his body.

Of course, Zim was twice as crafty the next time and won the next round. He'd seen some hot tub themed mating in his 'research' and while hating water, he did have a cleansing pool that he used when Gir made a huge mess and he felt the need for a full body cleansing. For the next day Dib blushed every time he heard any kind of wet slapping sound, even washing his own hands was enough to have his ears burning.

When Zim was working on creating his product Dib was also busy writing for his next Mizzy novel and the weekend after New Years passed quickly. In fact Dib had been on a writing roll and thanks to the new room Zim made for him, he could work undisturbed with everything he needed a shout to the Computer away. When he finally finished the next few chapters for his novel and sent them over to his editor, he was surprised to find that he'd been writing for a few days. After a quick refreshing shower Dib grabbed himself a cup of coffee and went to go find Zim and see if he made any progress on the product's design and function. He found Zim in his lab tiding up.

"Ah, excellent timing Dib," Zim said grinning. "I have finally finished the Dib's bonding aid."

"You, um, did? Weren't you still working out a new concept just yesterday? And now you say it's done?" Dib said skeptically.

"That is because Zim is a genius," he boasted and held up a dime-sized metal disk about an eight of an inch thick with four small protrougins around the edge.

Dib set down his coffee cup on the lab table and took the item from him turning it over. "So what's this going to do exactly?"

"After we assimilate your own toxin into your body this will convert my anti-toxin and deliver it to you making you immune to my toxin, it will also connect to your internal organ to then keep supplying you with the correct toxins for our matings," Zim explained.

"Aright, so this is a little anti-toxin filter, got it. Anything else?" Dib asked handing it back to Zim and picking his coffee back up. He leaned against the table and took a sip of the warm drink.

"I thought about the delivery system and decided that you didn't need another mating organ implanted in you."

"Um, thanks. I wouldn't have agreed to that anyway," Dib said taking another sip.

Zim clicked his tongue in irritation before continuing. "Yes, so I decided to just upgrade what you have."

Dib lowered his cup. "Excuse me?"

"That disk will react with my toxin and trigger your body into releasing the anti-toxin, which will be naturally part of your bloodstream after our first mating. However, because you are not Irken I am doubtful that your body will be able to react in time to my toxin, this disk will expedite that problem," Zim said. "It will also trigger you to release your own toxin when mating that my body will naturally negate. And this," Zim said holding up a large ring with a thicker disk embedded to the top. "Is what we will use for the initial bonding delivery system. This is removable and will not be necessary after the first bonding experience."

"O...kay," Dib said slowly as all of these didn't look too bad. A ring that-based on the size of it- he had a good idea of where it was supposed to go and a small disk. "I can guess where the ring is going, but what about the disk?" Dib asked.

"Oh, yes, here," Zim turned to his computer and pulled up an image of the male reproductive system. Thankfully it looked like one of the charts Dib had to label in high school and not an internal image of himself. "It will attach here," Zim pointed to a section in the diagram's rectum that was the closest to the prostate gland. Next to the diagram he pulled up a 3D model of the disk. Typing into the computer, the image of the disk rotated to show the underside of it. "This will connect with the prostate gland and generate the toxin into your releasing fluids," Zim said as the image on the computer changed, the back of the disk opened up and a thin cord like tube coiled out with a wicked looking clamp on the end of the tube. "And it will attach quite firmly and flush against your insides so you won't even feel it," Zim said as the protrusions on the disk flipped out to show four sharp hooked points.

"And this," Zim continued as he pulled up a model of the ring, not noticing that Dib had frozen while looking at the screen. "This will be placed around the base of your…" Zim squinted at the diagram. "Penis, and this will also connect internally to the prostate gland to deliver both your toxin to your system," he said as a similar tube came out from the inside of the ring. " As well as simulate a bonding for me," Zim said as the outside side of the ring's disk turned into a long thin twisting tube with a shape point at the end, that resembled Zim's secondary bonding organ.

"So what do you think of Zim's genius?" Zim asked knowing that Dib had to approve any design before he could impliment it.

Dib set down his coffee cup so his numb and slightly shaking hand wouldn't spill liquid all over Zim's floor. "I think it looks painful."

"Oh well, we can remove the ring after the first bonding as you won't need it. After you inject your anti-toxin into me just having the disk add the toxin to your normal releasing fluids will be enough. It will also pick up the traces of my fluids to counteract them," Zim said in what he thought was a perfectly reasonable manner.

"Zim," Dib said trying to not freak out. "I don't know how I feel about you hooking this into my body, much less a sharp tube into my dick. Those parts are very...delicate and sensitive to pain."

Zim narrowed his eyes at the screen then turned to study Dib. "I suppose I can give you a painkiller," he sighed.

"Oh, you damn well better give me a painkiller!" Dib said very, very adamantly. "And are you sure there isn't some other way that involves less...hooks and pointy tubes of pain?"

"Those are there to secure the devices in place. With all the friction I wouldn't want anything to get dislodged and stuck deep into your dookie maker!" Zim said frustrated that Dib wasn't instantly impressed.

"Oh my lord, please don't call my ass that," Dib held his head.

"Then stop calling my superior and complex bonding organ a 'bee-dick'!" Zim demanded.

"I almost don't want to be conscious when you attach those things to my dick and dookie maker," Dib lamented ignoring Zim. He had several days to mentally prepare himself for whatever Zim came up with. He knew how important this was to Zim and he was honestly touched that Zim was thinking of their relationship in the long term sense… very long term. And he did go over all the data for the toxin and the chemistry checked out. Dib supposed that all things considered what Zim came up with was fairly reasonable… for Zim. The model was blown up to a large scale on the screen making everything look awful, when in reality the tube was probably no thicker than an IV needle.

"Have you stress tested these things? I'd rather not have them move around and damage any of my very important and irreplaceable insides. Remember, I don't grow back my organs or bones," Dib said keeping very quiet about the fact that human livers could regrow to an extent. He felt such knowledge was not something Zim needed to know now.

"Yes, yes," Zim waved away Dib's concern. "I made them out of a very flexible material there will be no internal damage to your soft squishy insides. So, do you agree? Are you ready to bond with Zim and be mine forever? I promise to be the greatest and most superior Hive for the Dib."

Dib rubbed his face. He was in this for the long haul. As stupid in love as he was with Zim, what choice did he have? With a weary smile Dib looked at Zim. "As soon as the first bonding is over you are _going_ to remove that artificial bee-dick from my perfectly-fine-on-its-own human dick, got it? And it better not leave _any_ damage when you remove it or I will refuse to have any sort of physical contact with you for an unmentionably long and undisclosed amount of time. Got it?"

"Fine, Fine," Zim said waving his hand dismissively, though he couldn't hide his happiness at Dib agreeing. He didn't even comment on the bee-dick thing. His antennae were perked and twitching in what Dib knew to be a pleased manner, and if that wasn't enough there was a slight flush to Zim's cheeks as he grinned.

 _Damn, if he doesn't look adorable._ Dib thought to himself.

Zim stepped up to Dib and the taller alien titled his head down to kiss Dib. "You will finally belong to Zim, and Zim will be your Hive." Dib was happy to kiss the Irken back. It wasn't often Zim was affectionate like this outside of 'fighting for dominance'. "I will also comply with your wish to be unconscious," Zim whispered into Dib's ear.

"Wait, what?" Dib said as he felt a slight sting on his neck and looking over he saw a sly pak tendril holding a syringe pull away. "You certainly don't waste any t-" Dib's snarky comment was cut off as the quick acting anesthetic took effect.

"When you wake up, we will finally be able to bond," Zim said tenderly to the unconscious human as he carried his body over to a lab table.

* * *

 **Ok. There are times as a writer that I have to make hard choices. When Dib threw Zim out from the room with the Screens Of Eternal Shame. I SO badly wanted to write: "And then Dib yeeted Zim out of the room" but the writer in me couldn't do it, so I had to tell you all about it here.**

 **((*whispers* if anyone wants to draw Dib yeeting Zim in his hover chair away from the Screens Of Eternal Shame I would be eternally grateful.))**


End file.
